Catalytic elimination of carbon monoxide in gas streams by thermal and ozone oxidations

Summary The catalytic activities of Pt-Pd, 0.25 wt.% Mn and 0.56 wt.% Mn coated on Al₂O₃ pellets during catalytic thermal oxidation and catalytic ozone oxidation were investigated. The results reveal that the activity of catalysts in catalytic ozone oxidation differed substantially from that in catalytic thermal oxidation.      

Correlation between acidic properties of nickel catalysts and catalytic activities for ethylene dimerization and butene isomerization

Catalytic activities of NiO–SiO₂ for ethylene dimerization and butene isomerization run parallel when the catalysts are activated by evacuation at elevated temperatures, giving two maxima in activities. The variations in catalytic activities are closely correlated to the acidity of NiO–SiO₂ catalysts. Catalytic activities of NiO–TiO₂ catalysts modified with H₂SO₄, H₃PO₄, H₃BO₃, and H₂SeO₄ for ethylene dimerization and butene isomerization were examined. The order of catalytic activities for both reactions was found to be NiO–TiO₂/SO₄^2- >> NiO–TiO₂/PO₄^3-NiO–TiO₂/BO₃^3- > NiO–TiO₂/SeO₄^2-> NiO–TiO₂, showing clear dependence of catalytic activity upon acid strength. The high catalytic activity of supported nickel sulfate for ethylene dimerization was related to the increase of acidity and acid strength due to the addition of NiSO₄. The asymmetric stretching frequency of the S=O bonds for supported NiSO₄ catalysts was related to the acidic properties and catalytic activity. That is, the higher the frequency, the larger both the acidity and catalytic activity. For NiSO₄/Al₂O₃–ZrO₂ catalyst, the addition of Al₂O₃ up to 5 mol% enhanced catalytic activity for ethylene dimerzation and strong acidity gradually due to the formation of Al–O–Zr bond. The active sites responsible for ethylene dimerization consist of a low-valent nickel, Ni⁺, and an acid, as evidenced by the IR spectra of CO adsorbed on NiSO₄/ -Al₂O₃ and Ni 2p XPS.     

Unraveling the role of phase engineering in tuning photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity and stability

In this work, taking NiSe₂ as a prototype to be used as cocatalyst in photocatalytic hydrogen evolution, we demonstrate that the crystal phase of NiSe₂ plays a vital role in determining the catalytic stability, rather than activity. Theoretical and experimental results indicate that the phase structure shows negligible influence to the charge transport and hydrogen adsorption capacity. When integrating with carbon nitride (CN) photocatalyst forming hybrids (m-NiSe₂/CN and p-NiSe₂/CN), the hybrids show comparable photocatalytic hydrogen evolution rates (3.26 μmol/h and 3.75 μmol/h). Unlike the comparable catalytic activity, we found that phase-engineered NiSe₂ exhibits distinct stability, i.e., m-NiSe₂ can evolve H₂ steadily, but p-NiSe₂ shows a significant decrease in catalytic process (∼57.1% decrease in 25 h). The factor leading to different catalytic stability can be ascribed to the different surface conversion behavior during photocatalytic process, i.e., chemical structure of m-NiSe₂ can be well preserved in catalytic process, but partial p-NiSe₂ tends to be converted to NiOOH.     

Versatile Three‐Dimensional Porous Cu@Cu2O Aerogel Networks as Electrocatalysts and Mimicking Peroxidases

A facile strategy is presented to form 3D porous Cu@Cu₂O aerogel networks by self‐assembling Cu@Cu₂O nanoparticles with the diameters of ca. 40 nm for constructing catalytic interfaces. Unexpectedly, the prepared Cu@Cu₂O aerogel networks display excellent electrocatalytic activity to glucose oxidation at a low onset potential of ca. 0.25 V. Moreover, the Cu@Cu₂O aerogels also can act as mimicking‐enzymes including horseradish peroxidase and NADH peroxidase, and show obvious enzymatic catalytic activities to the oxidation of dopamine (DA), o‐phenyldiamine (OPD), 3,3,5,5‐tetramethylbenzidine (TMB), and dihydronicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) in the presence of H₂O₂. These 3D Cu@Cu₂O aerogel networks are a new class of porous catalytic materials as mimic peroxidases and electrocatalysts and offer a novel platform to construct catalytic interfaces for promising applications in electrochemical sensors and artificial enzymatic catalytic systems.     

Stoichiometric and Catalytic C−C and C−H Bond Formation with B(C6F5)3 via Cationic Intermediates

This work showcases a new catalytic cyclization reaction using a highly Lewis acidic borane with concomitant C−H or C−C bond formation. The activation of alkyne‐containing substrates with B(C₆F₅)₃ enabled the first catalytic intramolecular cyclizations of carboxylic acid substrates using this Lewis acid. In addition, intramolecular cyclizations of esters enable C−C bond formation as catalytic B(C₆F₅)₃ can be used to effect formal 1,5‐alkyl migrations from the ester functional groups to unsaturated carbon–carbon frameworks. This metal‐free method was used for the catalytic formation of complex dihydropyrones and isocoumarins in very good yields under relatively mild conditions with excellent atom efficiency.     

Relationship between oxygen species and activity/stability in heteroatom (Zr,Y)-doped cerium-based catalysts for catalytic decomposition of CH3SH

CeO₂, Ce_1–xZr_xO₂, and Ce_1–xY_xO_2–δ (x = 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 1.00) have been rapidly synthesized to estimate their catalytic behavior in decomposing CH₃SH. The role of oxygen vacancies, and the relationship between the oxygen species and catalytic properties of CeO₂ and Zr-doped and Y-doped ceria-based materials are investigated in detail. Combining the observed catalytic performance with the characterization results, it can be deemed that surface lattice oxygen plays a critical role in methanethiol catalytic conversion over cerium oxides. Ce_0.75Zr_0.25O₂ shows higher catalytic activity for CH₃SH decomposition due to the large amount of surface lattice oxygen, readily available oxygen species, and excellent redox properties. Ce_0.75Y_0.25O_2–δ displays better catalytic stability owing to the greater number of oxygen vacancies that would promote bulk lattice oxygen migration to the surface of the catalyst in order to replenish surface lattice oxygen. In addition, the results show that the difference in chemical valence between Ce and the heteroatoms would strongly influence the amount of surface lattice oxygen as well as the mobility of bulk-phase oxygen in these catalysts, thus affecting their activity and stability.     

g-C3N4/双钙钛矿复合材料的制备及氧催化性能

通过溶胶-凝胶法制备出不同Ni掺杂比例的双钙钛矿Sr_2Ni_xCo_(2-x)O_6(x=0.2,0.4,0.6,0.8),通过热分解法制备出具有层状结构的纳米颗粒g-C_3N_4,并制备其复合物催化剂。将双钙钛矿和g-C_3N_4分别制备成双功能电极片,用于测试其对氧还原(ORR)和氧析出(OER)的催化活性,然后选取具有最佳氧催化活性的Ni掺杂比例x=0.4的双钙钛矿与一定重量比例的g-C_3N_4进行复合,测试复合催化剂的氧催化活性。结果表明,复合后的催化剂催化效果明显优于单一催化剂,当g-C_3N_4添加量占双钙钛矿的30%(w/w)时复合催化剂催化氧还原反应的最大电流密度为395.7 mA·cm~(-2)(-0.6 V vs Hg/HgO),氧析出反应的最大电流密度为372.0mA·cm~(-2)(1 V vs Hg/HgO),这表明g-C_3N_4与Sr_2Ni_(0.4)Co_(1.6)O_6复合后协同催化能够提高双钙钛矿的氧催化活性。     

Co3O4@CeO2 Core@Shell Cubes: Designed Synthesis and Optimization of Catalytic Properties

Mastery of nanomaterial structure enables the control of its properties to enhance its performance for a given application. Herein, we demonstrate a fast and facile self‐assembly method for the synthesis of a series of Co₃O₄@CeO₂ core@shell cubes, which are characterized by SEM, TEM, XRD, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP‐MS), and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses. The results indicate that the thickness of the CeO₂ shell can be tuned through simple variation of the feeding molar ratio of Ce/Co. These Co₃O₄@CeO₂ core@shell cubes are used for catalytic CO oxidation and show good catalytic properties. Moreover, the relationship between the catalytic performance and the CeO₂ shell thickness is studied in depth to optimize the catalytic properties.     

Molecular Recognition and Catalysis: from Macrocyclic Receptors to Molecularly Imprinted Metal Complexes

Summary: The results of studying a number of reactions catalyzed by several types of soluble macromolecular catalytic systems capable of selectively binding organic substrates, namely, modified cyclodextrins, calixarenes and dendrimers are presented. The use of modified cyclodextrins as components of a catalytic system in the phenol and benzene hydroxylation by hydrogen peroxide allows one both to increase the catalytic activity and to change significantly the chemical selectivity. Phosphorilated calixarene – Rh catalytic systems was found to be catalytically active in hydroformylation of linear alkenes C₇–C₁₂. The results of experiments on the oxidation of C₇–C₁₆ alkenes show that, when the ligand is the dendrimer molecule, the fraction of forming methyl ketones substantially increases for the substrates C₇–C₉. For the higher alkenes, this effect is not observed.     

Synthesis and Structures of Two Dinuclear Transition Metal Complexes and Their Catalytic Applications in Hydrogenation of Ketones

The complexes [Ni₂(L)₂]₂ · H₂O ( 1 ) and [Cu₂(L)₂(H₂O)] · 2CH₃OH ( 2 ) were prepared by reaction of the chiral Schiff base ligand N‐[(1R,2S)‐2‐hydroxy‐1,2‐diphenyl]‐acetylacetonimine (H₂L) with Ni^II and Cu^II ions, respectively, aiming to develop economically and environmentally‐friendly catalysts for the hydrogenation of ketones. They have a dinuclear skeleton with axial vacant sites. The catalytic effects of the two complexes for hydrogenation of ketones were tested using dihydrogen gas as hydrogen source. They present some catalytic effects in hydrogenation of acetophenone, which has a dependence on the temperature and base used in these reactions. However, no apparent catalytic effects were found for the two complexes in hydrogenation of 4‐nitroacetophenone and 4‐methylacetophenone. Although the catalytic conversion in these hydrogenation reactions is low, they do represent a kind of cheap and environmentally‐friendly hydrogenation catalyst.     

High catalytic activity of a new Ag phosphorus ylide complex supported on montmorillonite: synthesis,characterization, and application for room temperature nitro reduction

In this work, the phosphorus ylide, [PPh₃CHC(O)CH₂Cl], was reacted with AgNO₃ to give the [Ag{C(H)PPh₃C(O)CH₂Cl}₂]⁺NO₃ ^? as the product. Then, it was supported on the modified montmorillonite nanoclay to prepare a new catalyst for the reduction reaction. The structure and morphology of the nanoclay catalyst were characterized by FT-IR, X-ray powder diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis and transmission electron microscopy techniques; also, the content of silver was obtained by inductively coupled plasma analyzer. This composition was exploited to study its catalytic activity in the reduction in aromatic nitro compounds; it displayed the high catalytic activity. Factors such as catalyst amount, solvent, temperature and reaction time were all systematically investigated to elucidate their effects on the yield of catalytic reduction in nitroarenes. This catalytic system exhibited high activity toward aromatic nitro compounds under mild conditions. The catalyst was reused five times without any significant loss in its catalytic activity.     

Hyperbranched bisphosphinoamine ligands: synthesis,characterization and application in ethylene oligomerization

Two hyperbranched bisphosphinoamine (PNP) ligands and chromium complexes were synthesized in good yield with 1.0 generation (1.0 G) hyperbranched macromolecules, chlorodiphenylphosphine (Ph₂PCl) and CrCl₃(THF)₃ as raw materials. The hyperbranched PNP ligands and chromium complexes were characterized by FT-IR, ¹H NMR, ³¹P NMR, UV and ESI-MS. Comparing with the chromium complexes, the hyperbranched PNP ligands, in combination with Cr(III), and activation by methylaluminoxane (MAO) in situ generated species with better catalytic performance for ethylene oligomerization. The effect of solvent, chromium source, ligand/Cr molar ratio, reaction temperature, Al/Cr molar ratio and reaction pressure on the catalytic activity and product selectivity were studied. The results showed that with increase of ligand/Cr molar ratio, reaction temperature and Al/Cr molar ratio, the catalytic activity increased at first and then decreased. However, the catalytic activity continuously increased with increase of reaction pressure. Under the optimized conditions, the catalytic system of hyperbranched PNP/Cr(III)/MAO led to catalytic activity of 2.68 × 10⁵ g/(mol Cr·h) and 37.71% selectivity for C₆ and C₈.     

Dual roles of substituted thiourea as reductant and ligand in CuAAC reaction

A highly efficient catalytic system, CuSO₄·5H₂O/1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-3-phenylthiourea, for the copper(I)-catalyzed azide–alkyne cycloaddition reaction (CuAAC) was discovered. In the above catalytic system, substituted thiourea acts both as a reductant and a ligand. CuSO₄·5H₂O/1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-3-phenylthiourea is both an economical and efficient catalyst for the CuAAC reaction. In addition, the new catalytic system has advantageous features including mild and green reaction conditions, and broad substrate compatibility. A variety of 1,4-disubstituted 1,2,3-triazoles have been prepared with good to excellent yields with the CuSO₄·5H₂O/1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-3-phenylthiourea catalytic system in aqueous solution.     

Controlled synthesis of Bi- and tri-nuclear Cu-oxo nanoclusters on metal–organic frameworks and the structure–reactivity correlations

Precisely tuning the nuclearity of supported metal nanoclusters is pivotal for designing more superior catalytic systems, but it remains practically challenging. By utilising the chemical and molecular specificity of UiO-66-NH₂ (a Zr-based metal–organic framework), we report the controlled synthesis of supported bi- and trinuclear Cu-oxo nanoclusters on the Zr₆O₄ nodal centres of UiO-66-NH₂. We revealed the interplay between the surface structures of the active sites, adsorption configurations, catalytic reactivities and associated reaction energetics of structurally related Cu-based ‘single atoms’ and bi- and trinuclear species over our model photocatalytic formic acid reforming reaction. This work will offer practical insight that fills the critical knowledge gap in the design and engineering of new-generation atomic and nanocluster catalysts. The precise control of the structure and surface sensitivities is important as it can effectively lead to more reactive and selective catalytic systems. The supported bi- and trinuclear Cu-oxo nanoclusters exhibit notably different catalytic properties compared with the mononuclear ‘Cu₁’ analogue, which provides critical insight for the engineering of more superior catalytic systems.

The controlled synthesis of novel bi- and trinuclear Cu-oxo nanoclusters supported on UiO-66-NH₂ that show notably different catalytic properties in the photocatalytic formic acid decomposition reaction is reported.     

Cadmium-Doped and Pincer Ligand-Modified Gold Nanocluster for Catalytic KA2 Reaction

A gold nanocluster Au₁₇Cd₂(PNP)₂(SR)₁₂ (PNP=2,6-bis(diphenylphosphinomethyl)pyridine, SR=4-MeOPhS) consisting of an icosahedral Au₁₃ kernel, two Au₂CdS₆ staple motifs, and two PNP pincer ligands has been designed, synthesized and well characterized. This cadmium and PNP pincer ligand co-modified gold nanocluster showed high catalytic efficiency in the KA² reaction, featuring high TON, mild reaction conditions, broad substrate scope as well as catalyst recyclability. Comparison of the catalytic performance between Au₁₇Cd₂(PNP)₂(SR)₁₂ and the structurally similar single cadmium (or PNP) modified gold nanoclusters demonstrates that the co-existence of the cadmium and PNP on the surface is crucial for the high catalytic activity of the gold nanocluster. This work would be enlightening for developing efficient catalysts for cascade reactions and discovering the catalytic potential of metal nanoclusters in organic transformations.     

Catalytic Formation of Acrylate from Carbon Dioxide and Ethene

With regard to sustainability, carbon dioxide (CO₂) is an attractive C1 building block. However, due to thermodynamic restrictions, reactions incorporating CO₂ are relatively limited so far. One of the so‐called “dream reactions” in this field is the catalytic oxidative coupling of CO₂ and ethene and subsequent β‐H elimination to form acrylic acid. This reaction has been studied intensely for decades. However up to this date no suitable catalytic process has been established. Here we show that the catalytic conversion of ethene and CO₂ to acrylate is possible in the presence of a homogeneous nickel catalyst in combination with a “hard” Lewis acid. For the first time, catalytic conversion of CO₂ and ethene to acrylate with turnover numbers (TON) of up to 21 was demonstrated.     

Thermal deactivation mechanism and the effect of Nd addition on the deactivation of the Pt/SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> catalyst for NO oxidation reaction

Pt-based catalysts cannot be used permanently for the diesel after-treatment system because the catalytic activity is decreased due to coarsening of Pt particles at high temperature of the exhaust gas. In this study, to prevent Pt-based catalyst from deactivation, Nd was added to the Pt/SiO₂ catalyst, and the effect of the Nd addition on the catalytic activity was investigated. The Pt/SiO₂ catalyst showed a high catalytic activity for the oxidation of NO but was severely deactivated after the fast thermal aging process. Pt crystallite size was increased and some Pt particles were buried in the SiO₂ pore during the fast thermal aging process, which led to the decrease of catalytic activity. Nd-added Pt/SiO₂ catalyst showed lower activity than Pt/SiO₂ catalyst, but Pt–Nd/SiO₂ catalyst maintained its catalytic activity after fast thermal aging process. It can be postulated that a stable Nd silicate, on which Pt particle is placed, protects SiO₂ pores from destruction and so the number of the catalytically active sites remains nearly unchanged. As a result the Pt–Nd/SiO₂ catalyst maintained its catalytic activity after fast thermal aging process.     

Sulfuric acid heterogenized on magnetic Fe3O4 nanoparticles: A new and efficient magnetically reusable catalyst for condensation reactions

Immobilized sulfuric acid on magnetic Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄ MNPs‐OSO₃H) as a new solid acid nanocomposite was successfully synthesized and its catalytic activity in a series of condensation reactions was studied. High catalytic activity, simple separation from reaction mixture by an external magnet and good reusability are several eco‐friendly advantages of this catalytic system. It is noteworthy that this catalytic system is applicable to a wide range of spectrum of aromatic aldehydes, and the desired products were obtained in good to excellent yields under mild conditions. The use of ecofriendly solvents makes also this synthetic protocol ideal and fascinating from the environmental point of view.     

Catalytic oxidation of CS2 over atmospheric particles and oxide catalysts

The catalytic oxidization of CS₂ over atmospheric particles and some oxide catalysts was explored through FT-IR, MS and a fixed-bed stainless steel reactor. The results show that atmospheric particles and some oxide catalysts exhibited considerable oxidizing activities for CS₂ at ambient temperature. The reaction products are mainly COS and elemental sulfur, even CO₂ on some catalysts. Among the catalysts, CaO has the strongest catalytic activity for oxidizing CS₂. Fe₂O₃ is weaker than CaO. The catalytic activity for Al₂O₃ reduces considerably compared with the former two catalysts, and SiO₂ the weakest. Atmospheric particle samples’ catalytic activity is between Fe₂O₃’s and Al₂O₃’s. The atmospheric particle sample collected mainly consists of Ca(Al₂Si₂O₈) · 4H₂O, which is also the main component of cement. COS, the main product, is formed by the catalytic oxidization of CS₂ with adsorbed “molecular” oxygen over the catalysts’ surfaces. The concentration of adsorbed oxygen over catalysts’ surfaces may be the key factor contributed to the oxidizing activity. It is indicated that CS₂ could be catalytically oxidized over atmospheric particles, which induced that this reaction may be another important source of atmospheric COS from CS₂.     

Copper oxide nanostructures: Controlled synthesis and their catalytic performance

Oval-plate-like, sphere-like, bundle-like and plate-like copper oxide (CuO) nanostructures were prepared by hydrothermal method using Cu(CH₃COO)₂·H₂O and NaOH as the reagents in the absence of any surfactants or templates. The morphology and structure of CuO nanostructures could be easily tailored by adjusting the amount of NaOH. The catalytic activity of the as-prepared CuO nanostructures was demonstrated by catalytic oxidation of methylene blue (MB) in presence of hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂). The oval-plate-like CuO exhibited better catalytic activity and which was mainly attributed to the larger specific surface area.