Synthesis of Supported Catalysts by Impregnation and Calcination of Low-Temperature Polymerizable Metal-Complexes

The low-temperature polymerizable metal complex solution has been used as an active component precursor to prepare supported (structured) catalysts by a straight-forward sequence of impregnation, drying and calcination. Two typical samples, 5 wt% Zr x Ce 1− x O 2 /Al 2 O 3 nanocomposite and structured carbon nanofiber supported Cu–CeO 2 catalyst, are prepared to explore the potential of this method in the controlled synthesis of catalysts and catalyst supports. The interaction between the active component precursor and the surface of the solid matrices during impregnation and drying is investigated by infrared spectroscopy (IR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), demonstrating that the in situ polymerization process is crucial for the deposition of the active component on the surface of solid matrices. The evolution of the phase transformation and the structure of the produced materials during the calcination step is studied by coupling thermal gravimetric analysis–differential thermal analysis–mass spectroscopy (TGA–DTA–MS), TEM and X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements, indicating that higher thermal stable particles or smaller particles can be obtained with the presence of the Al 2 O 3 or structured carbon nanofibers (SCNF), respectively, after calcination. This method combines the advantages of sol–gel and impregnation, representing a promising route for preparing supported catalysts and catalyst supports. The limitations of the method are also discussed.