Selective adsorption of manganese onto cobalt for optimized Mn/Co/TiO2 Fischer–Tropsch catalysts

The Strong Electrostatic Adsorption (SEA) method was applied to the rational design of a promoted Co catalyst for Fischer–Tropsch (FT) synthesis. A series of Mn/Co/TiO2 catalysts were prepared by selective deposition of the [MnO4]− anion onto the supported Co3O4 phase. Qualitative ICP-OES and XPS measurements of the prepared catalysts with increasing Mn loading displayed the preferential association of the Mn species with Co3O4 and not the TiO2 support. The SEA preparation method seemed to minimize the migration of Mn away from the Co to the TiO2 support during reduction procedures to ensure a more intimate interaction between the Mn and the Co species during FT reactivity measurements. This led to an increase in light olefins, C5+ selectivity and chain growth probability. It is anticipated that the SEA preparation method is a viable synthesis strategy for other promoted and/or bimetallic catalyst systems where intimate contact between the catalyst components is highly desired.