Proposal Title: GOALI: Fundamental Studies of Selective NO Reduction and Decomposition by Gold- and Silver-Based Catalysts
Proposal Number: CTS-9812112 Principal Investigator: Erdogan Gulari Institution: University of Michigan
Professor Erdogan Gulari of U. Michigan proposes to develop new alumina-supported gold and silver type for selective NO reduction or decomposition. Such catalysts will be useful for the NO pollutant elimination from exhaust gases obtained from the lean combustion of gasoline or diesel. The sol-gel synthesis already developed has been shown to produce catalysts that are highly selective to nitrogen. In the present work, the causes for the high selectivity will be determined, in order to provide the foundation for the development of new generation NO abatement catalysts. The mechanism of NO reduction and decomposition will be studied by transient and isotopic switching experiments. The catalyst structure will be determined by electron microscopy, x-ray photoelectron and Raman spectroscopies, and x-ray diffraction. Parameters identified will include: nature and extent of metal support interaction; metal crystallite size distribution; metal oxidation state under reaction conditions; sol-gel preparation variables; surface species; and catalytic surface changes during reaction. This GOALI proposal involves a collaboration with Robert Hammerle, of Ford Motor Company.
