Synthesis and Characterization of Mixed Oxide Supported Molybdenum Catalysts

Molybdenum catalysts supported on γ-Al2O3 and γ-Al2O3-MgO mixed oxides with varying MgO loadings (5, 10, 15, 20 wt% with respect to γ-Al2O3), were prepared by wet impregnation method. The textural properties of synthesized Mo catalysts were explored by various analytical techniques such as N2 adsorption–desorption (BET), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), Transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The results showed that the addition of MgO affected the binding energies of various elements and reducibility of the metal oxides formed after calcination due to different metal-support interaction. Moreover, the characterization techniques showed that the active metal distributed uniformly on the surface of support material.