Sinter-Resistant Platinum Catalyst Supported by Metal-Organic Framework.

Single atoms and few-atom clusters of platinum are uniformly installed on the zirconia nodes of a metal-organic framework (MOF) NU-1000 via targeted vapor-phase synthesis. The catalytic Pt clusters, site-isolated by organic linkers, are shown to exhibit high catalytic activity for ethylene hydrogenation while exhibiting resistance to sintering up to 200 °C. In situ IR spectroscopy reveals the presence of both single atoms and few-atom clusters that depend upon synthesis conditions.

Bridging Zirconia Nodes within a Metal-Organic Framework via Catalytic Ni-Hydroxo Clusters to Form Heterobimetallic Nanowires.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), with their well-ordered pore networks and tunable surface chemistries, offer a versatile platform for preparing well-defined nanostructures wherein functionality such as catalysis can be incorporated. Notably, atomic layer deposition (ALD) in MOFs has recently emerged as a versatile approach to functionalize MOF surfaces with a wide variety of catalytic metal-oxo species. Understanding the structure of newly deposited species and how they are tethered within the MOF is critical to understanding how these components couple to govern the active material properties.

Methane Oxidation to Methanol Catalyzed by Cu-Oxo Clusters Stabilized in NU-1000 Metal-Organic Framework.

Copper oxide clusters synthesized via atomic layer deposition on the nodes of the metal-organic framework (MOF) NU-1000 are active for oxidation of methane to methanol under mild reaction conditions. Analysis of chemical reactivity, in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations are used to determine structure/activity relations in the Cu-NU-1000 catalytic system. The Cu-loaded MOF contained Cu-oxo clusters of a few Cu atoms.

Tailoring nanoscopic confines to maximize catalytic activity of hydronium ions.

Acid catalysis by hydronium ions is ubiquitous in aqueous-phase organic reactions. Here we show that hydronium ion catalysis, exemplified by intramolecular dehydration of cyclohexanol, is markedly influenced by steric constraints, yielding turnover rates that increase by up to two orders of magnitude in tight confines relative to an aqueous solution of a Brønsted acid. The higher activities in zeolites BEA and FAU than in water are caused by more positive activation entropies that more than offset higher activation enthalpies.

Enhancing the catalytic activity of hydronium ions through constrained environments.

The dehydration of alcohols is involved in many organic conversions but has to overcome high free-energy barriers in water. Here we demonstrate that hydronium ions confined in the nanopores of zeolite HBEA catalyse aqueous phase dehydration of cyclohexanol at a rate significantly higher than hydronium ions in water. This rate enhancement is not related to a shift in mechanism; for both cases, the dehydration of cyclohexanol occurs via an E1 mechanism with the cleavage of C-H bond being rate determining.

FY17-PDH-EVTest04 GodInput Impact of the Oxygen Defects FY17-PDH-EVTest04 Reduction Rates of Stearic Acid.

Test New Article1 GodEarlyview.Publish-on-load testing.The role of the specific physicochemical properties of ZrO phases on Ni/ZrO has been explored with respect to the reduction of stearic acid.

Improving Stability of Zeolites in Aqueous Phase via Selective Removal of Structural Defects.

Missing silicon-oxygen bonds in zeolites are shown to be the cause for structural instability of zeolites in hot liquid water. Their selective removal drastically improved their structural stability as demonstrated using zeolite beta as example. The defects in the siloxy bonds were capped by reaction with trimethylchlorosilane, and Si-O-Si bonds were eventually formed.

Sintering-Resistant Single-Site Nickel Catalyst Supported by Metal-Organic Framework.

Developing supported single-site catalysts is an important goal in heterogeneous catalysis since the well-defined active sites afford opportunities for detailed mechanistic studies, thereby facilitating the design of improved catalysts. We present herein a method for installing Ni ions uniformly and precisely on the node of a Zr-based metal-organic framework (MOF), NU-1000, in high density and large quantity (denoted as Ni-AIM) using atomic layer deposition (ALD) in a MOF (AIM). Ni-AIM is demonstrated to be an efficient gas-phase hydrogenation catalyst upon activation.

State of Supported Nickel Nanoparticles during Catalysis in Aqueous Media.

The state of Ni supported on HZSM-5 zeolite, silica, and sulfonated carbon was studied during aqueous-phase catalysis of phenol hydrodeoxygenation using in situ extended X-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. On sulfonated carbon and HZSM-5 supports, NiO and Ni(OH)2 were readily reduced to Ni(0) under reaction conditions (≈35 bar H2 in aqueous phenol solutions containing up to 0.5 wt.

Impact of Zeolite Aging in Hot Liquid Water on Activity for Acid-Catalyzed Dehydration of Alcohols.

The location and stability of Brønsted acid sites catalytically active in zeolites during aqueous phase dehydration of alcohols were studied on the example of cyclohexanol. The catalytically active hydronium ions originate from Brønsted acid sites (BAS) of the zeolite that are formed by framework tetrahedral Si atom substitution by Al. Al K-edge extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and (27)Al magic angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopies in combination with density functional theory (DFT) calculations are used to determine the distribution of tetrahedral Al sites (Al T-sites) both qualitatively and quantitatively for both parent and HBEA catalysts aged in water prior to catalytic testing.

Sealed rotors for in situ high temperature high pressure MAS NMR.

Here we present the design of reusable and perfectly sealed all-zirconia MAS rotors. The rotors are used to study AlPO4-5 molecular sieve crystallization under hydrothermal conditions, high temperature high pressure cyclohexanol dehydration reaction, and low temperature metabolomics of intact biological tissue.

Electronic and Chemical State of Aluminum from the Single- (K) and Double-Electron Excitation (KLII&III, KLI) X-ray Absorption Near-Edge Spectra of α-Alumina, Sodium Aluminate, Aqueous Al(3+)·(H2O)6, and Aqueous Al(OH)4(-).

We probe, at high energy resolution, the double electron excitation (KLII&II) X-ray absorption region that lies approximately 115 eV above the main Al K-edge (1566 eV) of α-alumina and sodium aluminate. The two solid standards, α-alumina (octahedral) and sodium aluminate (tetrahedral), are compared to aqueous species that have the same Al coordination symmetries, Al(3+)·6H2O (octahedral) and Al(OH)4(-) (tetrahedral). For the octahedral species, the edge height of the KLII&III-edge is approximately 10% of the main K-edge; however, the edge height is much weaker (3% of K-edge height) for Al species with tetrahedral symmetry.

Impact of the oxygen defects and the hydrogen concentration on the surface of tetragonal and monoclinic ZrO2 on the reduction rates of stearic acid on Ni/ZrO2.

The role of the specific physicochemical properties of ZrO2 phases on Ni/ZrO2 has been explored with respect to the reduction of stearic acid. Conversion on pure m-ZrO2 is 1.3 times more active than on t-ZrO2 , whereas Ni/m-ZrO2 is three times more active than Ni/t-ZrO2 .

Glucose- and cellulose-derived Ni/C-SO3H catalysts for liquid phase phenol hydrodeoxygenation.

Sulfonated carbons were explored as functionalized supports for Ni nanoparticles to hydrodeoxygenate (HDO) phenol. Both hexadecane and water were used as solvents. The dual-functional Ni catalysts supported on sulfonated carbon (Ni/C-SO3H) showed high rates for phenol hydrodeoxygenation in liquid hexadecane, but not in water.

Quantitatively probing the Al distribution in zeolites.

The degree of substitution of Si(4+) by Al(3+) in the oxygen-terminated tetrahedra (Al T-sites) of zeolites determines the concentration of ion-exchange and Brønsted acid sites. Because the location of the tetrahedra and the associated subtle variations in bond angles influence the acid strength, quantitative information about Al T-sites in the framework is critical to rationalize catalytic properties and to design new catalysts. A quantitative analysis is reported that uses a combination of extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis and (27)Al MAS NMR spectroscopy supported by DFT-based molecular dynamics simulations.

Following solid-acid-catalyzed reactions by MAS NMR spectroscopy in liquid phase--zeolite-catalyzed conversion of cyclohexanol in water.

A microautoclave magic angle spinning NMR rotor is developed enabling in situ monitoring of solid-liquid-gas reactions at high temperatures and pressures. It is used in a kinetic and mechanistic study of the reactions of cyclohexanol on zeolite HBEA in 130 °C water. The (13) C spectra show that dehydration of 1-(13) C-cyclohexanol occurs with significant migration of the hydroxy group in cyclohexanol and the double bond in cyclohexene with respect to the (13) C label.