INTERACTIONS BETWEEN MOLYBDENUM AND ACTIVATED CARBONS ON THE PREPARATION OF ACTIVATED CARBON-SUPPORTED MOLYBDENUM CATALYSTS

The influence of the porous texture and surface chemistry of an activa ted carbon on the preparation of activated carbon-supported molybdenum catalysts was studied, Activated carbons with various degrees of oxid ation were used as supports. Supports and catalysts were characterized by nitrogen adsorption at 77 K, temperature-programmed desorption (TP D), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray photoele ctron spectroscopy (XPS), The impregnation with molybdenum produced a reduction of the textural properties. TPD results indicated that there was a transformation of CO2- and CO-evolving oxygen functional groups on the activated carbon as a consequence of the impregnation of molyb denum and that acidic groups were acting as chemical anchorage centers , FTIR and XPS analyses confirmed that interactions were established b etween molybdenum species and carbonyl and ether surface functional gr oups. These results indicate that the molybdenum was well distributed and reached the inner porous network of the carbon support. (C) 1998 A cademic Press.