Spectroscopic investigation of sulfur-resistant Pt/K2O/ZrO2/TiO2/Al2O3 NSR/LNT catalysts

An alternative ternary support oxide material and its K2O and Pt functionalized counterparts in the form of Pt/K2O/Al2O3/ZrO2/TiO2 with different K2O loadings were synthesized. Structural and morphological properties of the catalysts were characterized via XRD and BET techniques in comparison to a conventional Pt/20Ba/Al benchmark NSR/LNT catalyst. Comprehensive in-situ FTIR and TPD analysis revealed that increasing the K2O loading in the Pt/K2O/AZT system leads to an increase in NOx Storage Capacity (NSC) at the expense of the formation of bulk-like sulfates requiring higher temperature for complete sulfur elimination with H2(g). Observed delicate trade-off between NSC and sulfur poisoning tendencies of the currently investigated family of AZT-based NSR/LNT catalysts implies that Pt/5.4K2O/AZT is a promising catalyst revealing comparable NSC within the temperature range of 473-673 K to that of the conventional Pt/20Ba/Al benchmark catalyst, while exhibiting superior sulfur tolerance and regeneration characteristics.