Crystal-plane effects of anatase TiO2 on the selective hydrogenation of crotonaldehyde over Ir/TiO2 catalysts

Supported Ir/TiO2 catalysts with the anatase TiO2 nanocrystals exposing {1 0 1}, {1 0 0} and {0 0 1} planes were tested for selective hydrogenation of crotonaldehyde. The Ir/TiO2-{1 0 1} catalyst dominantly exposing {1 0 1} plane gave a initial reaction rate of 166.1 μmol gIr-1 s−1 at 80 °C and a turnover frequency of crotyl alcohol formation of 0.022 s−1, which is 5 and 7 times respectively higher than those obtained on the Ir/TiO2-{0 0 1} catalyst dominantly exposing {0 0 1} plane even though they have similar Ir particle sizes (ca. 1.3 nm). The reaction behaviors were related to the surface oxygen vacancy, which served as surface acid sites and provide adsorption sites for C O bond in the CRAL molecule. Therefore, the higher concentration of oxygen vacancy in the Ir/TiO2-{1 0 1} accounted for the improved performance compared to the Ir/TiO2-{0 0 1}. However, strong adsorption of crotonaldehyde and/or products on the catalyst surface, as well as the CO poisoning via decarbonylation of crotonaldehyde, were the main reasons for the catalyst deactivation.