Condensed Mode Cooling of Ethylene Polymerization in Fluidized Bed Reactors

This review gives an overview of the evolution of the technology of condensed mode cooling, primarily for the case of ethylene polymerization on supported catalysts in fluidized bed reactors. It is well known that this mode of heat removal is quite effective in allowing polyolefin manufacturers to increase significantly production rates. What is perhaps less well understood are all of the issues that, in addition to the effect of the latent heat of vaporization of injected liquid components, also have an impact on the rate of production and behavior of the reactor. However, the liquid components injected into the reactor can vaporize rapidly under full‐scale conditions, leaving behind several heavy components (with respect to ethylene) that have numerous effects on how the particles behave, on the reaction rate, and on fluidization, fouling, and other parameters related to reactor and process performance.     

Effect of textural characteristics on the catalytic performance of supported KCoMoS2 in the synthesis of higher alcohols from syngas

The influence of textural characteristics on the catalytic performance of supported KCoMoS₂ catalysts was explored to provide essential information for the design of better catalysts for the synthesis of higher alcohols (C₁–C₅) from syngas. Syngas conversion was carried out over KCoMoS₂ catalysts supported on various mesoporous (alumina and carbon-coated alumina) and microporous (two types of powdered activated carbons) materials. The experimental results show that catalysts supported over microporous materials exhibit higher catalytic activity in HAS from syngas than catalysts based on mesoporous materials.     

Metal–Organic Framework (MOF)-Derived Carbon-Mediated Interfacial Reaction for the Synthesis of CeO2−MnO2 Catalysts

CeO₂-based catalysts are widely studied in catalysis fields. Developing one novel synthetic approach to increase the intimate contact between CeO₂ and secondary species is of particular importance for enhancing catalytic activities. Herein, an interfacial reaction between metal–organic framework (MOF)-derived carbon and KMnO₄ to synthesize CeO₂−MnO₂, in which carbon is derived from the pyrolysis of Ce-MOFs under an inert atmosphere, is described. The MOF-derived carbon is found to restrain the growth of CeO₂ crystallites under a high calcination temperature and, more importantly, intimate contact within CeO₂/C is conveyed to CeO₂/MnO₂ after the interfacial reaction; this is responsible for the high catalytic activity of CeO₂−MnO₂ towards CO oxidation.     

Co3+-Rich Na1.95CoP2O7 Phosphates as Efficient Bifunctional Catalysts for Oxygen Evolution and Reduction Reactions in Alkaline Solution

Implementing sustainable energy conversion and storage technologies is highly reliant on crucial oxygen electrocatalysis, such as the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR). However, the pursuit of low cost, energetic efficient and robust bifunctional catalysts for OER and ORR remains a great challenge. Herein, the novel Na-ion-deficient Na_2−xCoP₂O₇ catalysts are proposed to efficiently electrocatalyze OER and ORR in alkaline solution. The engineering of Na-ion deficiency can tune the electronic structure of Co, and thus tailor the intrinsically electrocatalytic performance. Among the sodium cobalt phosphate catalysts, the Na_1.95CoP₂O₇ (NCPO5) catalyst exhibits the lowest ΔE (E_J10,OER−E_J−1,ORR) of only 0.86 V, which favorably outperforms most of the reported non-noble metal catalysts. Moreover, the Na-ion deficiency can stabilize the phase structure and morphology of NCPO5 during the OER and ORR processes. This study highlights the Na-ion deficient Na_2−xCoP₂O₇ as a promising class of low-cost, highly active and robust bifunctional catalysts for OER and ORR.     

Hydrogel-Derived Honeycomb Ni3S4/N,P-C as an Efficient Oxygen Evolution Catalyst

The development of high-efficiency electrocatalysts with low costs for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is essential, but remains challenging. Herein, a new synthetic process is proposed to prepare Ni₃S₄ particles embedded in N,P-codoped honeycomb porous carbon aerogels (Ni₃S₄/N,P-HPC) through a hydrogel approach. The preparation of Ni₃S₄/N,P-HPC begins with the sol–gel polymerization of tripolyphosphate, chitosan, and guanidine polymer that contains metal-binding sites, allowing for the uniform incorporation of Ni ions into the gel matrix, freeze-drying, and subsequent carbonization under an inert atmosphere. This synthesis resolves difficulties in synthesizing the pure Ni₃S₄ phase caused by the instability of Ni₃S₄ at high temperature, while affording good control of the porous structure and N,P-doping of carbon aerogels. The synergy between the structural advantages of N,P-carbon aerogels (such as easily accessible active sites, high specific surface area, and excellent electron transport) and the intrinsic electrochemical properties of Ni₃S₄ result in the outstanding OER performance of Ni₃S₄/N,P-HPC, with overpotentials as low as 0.37 V at 10 mA cm⁻². The work outlined herein offers a simple and effective method for the development of carbon-based electrocatalysts for renewable energy conversion.     

Room temperature suzuki cross‐coupling polymerizations of aryl dihalides and aryldiboronic acid/acid esters with t‐Bu3P‐coordinated 2‐phenylaniline‐based palladacycle complex as the precatalyst

Room temperature Suzuki cross‐coupling polymerization of aryl dibromides/diiodides with aryldiboronic acids/acid esters with t‐Bu₃P‐coordinated 2‐phenylaniline‐based palladacycle complex, [2′‐(amino‐kN)[1,1′‐biphenyl]‐2‐yl‐kC]chloro(tri‐t‐butylphosphine)palladium, as a general precatalyst is described. Such room temperature Suzuki cross‐coupling polymerization is achieved by employing six equivalents or more of the base and affords polymers within an hour, with the yields and the molecular weights in general comparable to or higher than reported results that required higher reaction temperature and/or longer polymerization time. Our study provides a general catalyst system for the room temperature Suzuki cross‐coupling polymerization of aryl dibromides/diiodides with aryldiboronic acids/acid esters and paves the road for the investigation of employing other monodentate ligand‐coordinated palladacycle complexes including other electron‐rich monophosphine‐coordinated ones for room temperature cross‐coupling polymerizations. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part A: Polym. Chem. 2019, 57, 1606–1611     

A Shell-by-Shell Approach for Synthesis of Mesoporous Multi-Shelled Hollow MOFs for Catalytic Applications

Over the past two decades, advanced materials with hollow interiors have received significant attention in materials research owing to their great application potential across a vast number of technological fields. Though with great difficulty, multi-shelled hollow metal–organic frameworks (MSHMs) have also been successfully synthesized in recent years. Herein, a rational shell-by-shell soft-templating protocol has been devised to fabricate highly uniform multi-shelled hollow cobalt-imidazole-based MOF (ZIF-67). For the first time, it has become possible to endow mesoporosity to this new type of functional material (i.e., mesoporous MOFs). When used as carrier materials in catalytic reactions, in principle, these mesoporous MSHMs with high surface area not only improve the dispersity of metal nanoparticles (NPs), but also efficiently facilitate the mass diffusion of the reactions, resulting in enhanced catalyst activity. Moreover, the obtained MSHMs/M nanocomposites serve as base-metal bifunctional catalysts for one-pot oxidation-Knoevenagel condensation cascade reaction, in which the MSHMs itself serves as a pristine active catalyst in addition to its role of catalyst support. The results demonstrate that excellent multifunctional catalysts can be achieved via preparing intrinsically microporous bulk MOFs into extrinsically mesoporous MSHMs which possess many structural merits that conventional bulk MOFs do not have.     

Simple and Precise Quantification of Iron Catalyst Content in Carbon Nanotubes Using UV/Visible Spectroscopy

Iron catalysts have been used widely for the mass production of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) with high yield. In this study, UV/visible spectroscopy was used to determine the Fe catalyst content in CNTs using a colorimetric technique. Fe ions in solution form red–orange complexes with 1,10-phenanthroline, producing an absorption peak at λ=510 nm, the intensity of which is proportional to the solution Fe concentration. A series of standard Fe solutions were formulated to establish the relationship between optical absorbance and Fe concentration. Many Fe catalysts were microscopically observed to be encased by graphitic layers, thus preventing their extraction. Fe catalyst dissolution from CNTs was investigated with various single and mixed acids, and Fe concentration was found to be highest with CNTs being held at reflux in HClO₄/HNO₃ and H₂SO₄/HNO₃ mixtures. This novel colorimetric method to measure Fe concentrations by UV/Vis spectroscopy was validated by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, indicating its reliability and applicability to asses Fe content in CNTs.     

Enhanced Catalytic Activity in Liquid‐Exfoliated FeOCl Nanosheets as a Fenton‐Like Catalyst

A facile liquid‐phase exfoliation method to prepare few‐layer FeOCl nanosheets in acetonitrile by ultrasonication is reported. The detailed exfoliation mechanism and generated products were investigated by combining first‐principle calculations and experimental approaches. The similar cleavage energies of FeOCl (340 mJ m^?2) and graphite (320 mJ m^?2) confirm the experimental exfoliation feasibility. As a Fenton reagent, FeOCl nanosheets showed outstanding properties in the catalytic degradation of phenol in water at room temperature, under neutral pH conditions, and with sunlight irradiation. Apart from the increased surface area of the nanosheets, the surface state change of the nanosheets also plays a key role in improving the catalytic performance. The changes of charge density, density of states (DOS), and valence state of Fe atoms in the exfoliated FeOCl nanosheets versus plates illustrated that surface atomistic relationships made the few‐layer nanosheets higher activity, indicating the exfoliation process of the FeOCl nanosheets also brought about surface state changes.     

A Hexagonal Covalent Porphyrin Framework as an Efficient Support for Gold Nanoparticles toward Catalytic Reduction of 4‐Nitrophenol

A hexagonal porphyrin‐based porous organic polymer, namely, CPF‐1, was constructed by 3+2 ketoenamine condensation of the C₂‐symmetric porphyrin diamine 5,15‐bis(4‐aminophenyl)‐10,20‐diphenylporphyrin and 1,3,5‐triformylphloroglucinol. This material exhibits permanent porosity and excellent thermal and chemical stability. CPF‐1 can be employed as a superior supporting substrate to immobilize Au nanoparticles (NPs) as a result of the strong interactions between Au NPs and the CPF support. An Au@CPF‐1 hybrid was synthesized by an interfacial solution infiltration method with NaBH₄ as reducing agent. Au NPs (5 nm) grew on CPF‐1 and were distributed without aggregation. Moreover, Au@CPF‐1 exhibits superior catalytic activity compared to many other reported Au‐based catalysts for the reduction of 4‐nitrophenol in the presence of NaBH₄. In addition, Au@CPF‐1 has excellent stability and recyclability, and it can be reused for three successive reaction cycles without loss of activity. The dense distribution of phenyl rings on the channel walls of the CPF support can reasonably be regarded as the active sites that adsorb the 4‐nitrophenol molecule through hydrogen‐bonding and C?H ??? π interactions, as was confirmed by the X‐ray structure of model compound DAPP‐Benz.