Development of a cataluminescence-based method for rapid screening of de-NOx catalysts

Here we report a cataluminescence-based method in the combinatorial discovery of active catalysts for NO reduction by C3H6. This method is based on the fact that NO reduction generates cataluminescence emission on the surface of various metal catalysts supported on BaO/Al2O3, whose intensity is correlated to the activity of the catalyst. The catalytic activities of the catalysts were evaluated in parallel by both the cataluminescence method and a micro-reactor evaluation system. The correlation coefficients are in the range of 0.676-0.9236 for the two methods and all above 0.632 at the confidence level 95% in the temperature region of 250-500 degrees C, indicating that the cataluminescence method can be applied to the evaluation of the catalytic activity of de-NOx catalysts.