Steady-State and transient kinetic investigations of the oxidation of NO over Pt/SiO2

The reaction mechanism of the oxidation of NO under conditions of high NO concentration over a 2 wt% Pt/SiO2 was studied using both kinetic and transient isotopic tracing experiments. The reaction mechanism was found to involve both NO adsorption and oxygen adsorption, contrary to the situation under low NO concentration where NO reacts from the gas phase. The kinetic rate data could be fitted to the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model permitting the estimation of rate and equilibrium constants of elementary steps. These steps were investigated using transient responses following independent reactant gas isotopic switches for tracing the nitrogen path and the oxygen path during NO oxidation. These transients could be sufficiently described by a microkinetic model based on two pools of NO intermediates, one pool each for the adsorbed molecular oxygen and atomically adsorbed oxygen. Surface atomic oxygen was found to be formed by two different routes: via a direct dissociation of molecularly adsorbed oxygen and also via an assisted pathway that leads to NO2 formation. The latter surface reaction between adsorbed NO and adsorbed molecular oxygen comprised the kinetically relevant step. Insights from the two experimental and model approaches were in good agreement and provided a coherent reaction mechanism for NO oxidation under high NO reactant concentration.