Synthesis, Characterization, and Activity Exploration of Pt/Al₂O₃ Catalyst in Soot Oxidation: A Comprehensive Chemistry Laboratory Experiment

A comprehensive chemistry laboratory experiment, including the synthesis of Pt/Al2O3 catalysts at different conditions, structure characterization, and the real-world application exploration, has been designed for upper-division undergraduate and graduate students as an expansion and improvement of the professional experimental course. In this experiment, students could not only learn the universal preparation and evaluation procedures of supported heterogeneous catalysts, but they also gain the opportunity to operate temperature controllers and mass flow controllers, to obtain knowledge of several modern instrumental techniques in chemical research (XRD, TEM, and GC). By analyzing the experimental phenomena and results, the students could consolidate their multidisciplinary knowledge (physical chemistry, structural chemistry, and analytical chemistry), while also understand the preparation-structure-activity relationship of the catalysts. More importantly, by introducing real-world application of the catalytic oxidation of soot, one of the most effective technologies in exhaust purification, to curriculum content, the experiment could stimulate the students to realize the impacts of human activities on the environment and widen their understanding of the critical role of catalysis in environmental protection and sustainable development.