Promoter Effects on Catalyst Selectivity and Stability for Propylene Partial Oxidation to Acrolein

Highly dispersed silica-supported CuOx/SiO2 catalysts were synthesized via solution-phase deposition and studied for their activity, selectivity, and stability in catalyzing the selective oxidation of propylene to acrolein. Strategies for ensuring high metal dispersion included controlling the surface density of silanols (via covalent silanol-capping) or by pre-installing different “promoter” transition metals at submonolayer coverages. A comparison of the effect of first row transition metal promoters showed that V and Cr significantly boost catalyst performance and stabilize CuOx sites against aggregation.