Influence of the preparative route on the properties of WOx–ZrO2 catalysts: A detailed structural, spectroscopic, and catalytic study

Abstract Two series of tungstated zirconia (WZ) solid acids covering a wide range of tungsten surface densities ( δ, W at/nm2 ) were prepared by nonconventional impregnation and coprecipitation routes, leading to samples with enhanced surface area ( ∼ 70 – 120 m 2 / g ) on annealing at 973–1073 K. The materials were thoroughly characterized by N2 physisorption , XRD, Raman, XPS, H 2-TPR, and DR UV–vis spectroscopy. The catalytic behavior of the Pt-promoted WZ catalysts (1 wt% Pt) was evaluated for the hydroconversion of n-hexadecane used as model feed representative of Fischer–Tropsch waxes. Both series of catalysts displayed a pronounced maximum in the reaction rate and a minimum in the se…