Nanosized gold as a promoter for hydrocarbon partial oxidation in perovskite composites

Abstract

La1-xSrxMnO3 has been studied as anodic material for propane reforming. With this goal, nanostractured La 1-xSrxMnO3 (x≈0.40) perovskite powder was synthesized by a modified Pechini process. We have attempted to improve the catalytic performance of these materials by synthesizing nanosized Au/La 1-xSrxMnO3 composites, and investigating the gold-promoting effect for hydrocarbon reforming. The structural characterization identified single-phase perovskite powders and the morphological investigations verified the nanocrystalline powders structure and the presence of a homogeneous dispersion of gold nanoparticles in composites. Catalytic tests revealed high propane conversions when LSM was used in partial oxidation conditions. Moreover, a slight increase in propane conversion was detected when Au/LSM composites were tested under the same conditions, and structural characterization showed higher powder stability in the presence of gold. Analyses of powder morphology and carbon deposition after catalytic tests are discussed.