Preparation and characterization of silica-supported Ni/Pt catalysts

The formation of a series of Ni/Pt catalysts was investigated by means of temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) of the chloride precursor, hydrogen chemisorption, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, XPS, and magnetic measurements. An alloy between Pt and Ni was formed. The minority constituent of the series of bimetallic catalysts was always found to be quantitatively alloyed or in close contact with the more abundant metal. For several samples, the stoichiometric NiPt compound was observed. With Ni-rich samples a nonstoichiometric alloy (rich in Ni) was concluded to exist. At all concentration levels the presence of Pt facilitated the reduction of Ni²⁺ significantly. Temperature-programmed reduction of the Ni/Pt catalyst with 50 mol% and higher concentrations of Pt did not differ from that of pure Pt. Based on XPS and magnetic measurements it is concluded that a constant fraction (approximately 10-15%) of Ni was highly dispersed and interacted strongly with the support.