Platinum Metals Review - Volume 36, Issue 2, 1992

The characterisation of platinum group metals catalysts is commonly carried out by temperature-programmed reduction, the spectrum of which has been used as a “finger-print” of the reducibility of the catalyst. Recent literature suggests that the utility of temperature-programmed reduction can be further enhanced by combining it with other techniques, such as temperature-programmed desorption and thermogravimetry. Temperature-programmed reduction can be used to investigate phenomena such as metal-support interaction and bimetal formation qualitatively, and to assess quantitatively the stoichiometry of the catalytic precursor. It may also be used to assess metal distribution in a composite oxide supported precursar. An overview of the concepts and applications of temperature-programmed reduction is presented here, and a selection of recent reported methodologies and findings on supported platinum group metal catalysts are discussed.