Liquid metals for boosting stability of zeolite catalysts in the conversion of methanol to hydrocarbons.

Methanol-to-hydrocarbons (MTH) process has been considered one of the most practical approaches for producing value-added products from methanol. However, the commonly used zeolite catalysts suffer from rapid deactivation due to coke deposition and require regular regeneration treatments. We demonstrate that low-melting-point metals, such as Ga, can effectively promote more stable methanol conversion in the MTH process by slowing coke deposition and facilitating the desorption of carbonaceous species from the zeolite.

Synthetic Control of the Defect Structure and Hierarchical Extra-Large-/Small-Pore Microporosity in Aluminosilicate Zeolite SWY.

The SWY-type aluminosilicate zeolite, STA-30, has been synthesized via different routes to understand its defect chemistry and solid acidity. The synthetic parameters varied were the gel aging, the Al source, and the organic structure directing agent. All syntheses give crystalline materials with similar Si/Al ratios (6-7) that are stable in the activated K,H-form and closely similar by powder X-ray diffraction.

Heterogeneous ketonic decarboxylation of dodecanoic acid: studying reaction parameters.

Ketonic decarboxylation has gained significant attention in recent years as a pathway to reduce the oxygen content within biomass-derived oils, and to produce sustainable ketones. The reaction is base catalysed, with MgO an economic, accessible and highly basic heterogeneous catalyst. Here we use MgO to catalyse the ketonic decarboxylation of dodecanoic acid to form 12-tricosanone at moderate temperatures (250 °C, 280 °C and 300 °C) with low catalyst loads of 1% (w/w), 3% (w/w) and 5% (w/w) with respect to the dodecanoic acid, with a reaction time of 1 hour under batch conditions.

Initial stages of SBA-15 synthesis: an overview.

This work presents an overview of the data obtained for SBA-15 synthesis under the reaction conditions using synchrotron based small angle X-ray scattering and small angle neutron scattering. Three major stages in the synthesis of SBA-15 materials proceeding according to the cooperative self-assembly mechanism have been identified, and the structures of the intermediates species have been established. Our in situ time-resolved neutron scattering experiments demonstrate that only spherical micelles of the templating agent are present in the synthesis mixture during the first stage of the reaction.

Classification and individualization of black ballpoint pen inks using principal component analysis of UV-vis absorption spectra.

The technique of principal component analysis has been applied to the UV-vis spectra of inks obtained from a wide range of black ballpoint pens available in the UK market. Both the pen ink and material extracted from the ink line on paper have been examined. Here, principal component analysis characterised each spectrum within a group through the numerical loadings attached to the first few principal components.

New insights into the initial steps of the formation of SBA-15 materials: an in situ small angle neutron scattering investigation.

Time-resolved in situ SANS investigations have provided direct experimental evidence for the three initial steps in the formation of the SBA-15 mesoporous material: an induction period is followed by a shape transformation of the micelles from spherical to cylindrical ones followed by the precipitation of a two-dimensional hexagonal phase.

Characterization of the initial stages of SBA-15 synthesis by in situ time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering.

The initial stages of SBA-15 synthesis have been studied by using in situ time-resolved small-angle X-ray scattering with a synchrotron radiation source. The quantitative analysis of X-ray scattering and diffraction intensities allows the structures of intermediates to be identified at the different stages of SBA-15 synthesis. Following tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS) addition, an intense small-angle scattering and an associated secondary maximum are observed, which are attributed to non-interacting surfactant template micelles encrusted with silicate species.