Non-thermal plasma-assisted catalytic NO sub(x) storage over Pt/Ba/Al sub(2)O sub(3) at low temperatures

NO sub(x) storage performances have been investigated on a Pt/Ba/Al sub(2)O sub(3) catalyst by comparison using two types of non-thermal plasma (NTP) reactor: the "PDC system" reactor and the "PFC system" reactor. In the PDC system, the catalyst was placed in the discharge space and was activated by the plasma directly, whereas in the PFC system, the plasma reactor was followed by the catalyst. The results showed that the NO sub(x) storage capacity (NSC) of the Pt/Ba/Al sub(2)O sub(3) catalyst was significantly enhanced by the non-thermal plasma in the PDC and PFC system, and the PDC system exhibited better promotional effect than the PFC system in the temperature range of 100-300 degree C. The NSC of the catalyst was increased with the increase of the input energy density both in the PDC and PFC system due to the higher NO oxidation at higher input energy density. It was also found that the ionic wind induced by plasma in the PDC system enhanced the quantity of the NO adsorbed onto the catalyst surface and therefore could react with the O-radical to form more NO sub(2), and thus promote the formation of nitrate on the catalyst.