High performance CuO-CeO2 catalysts for selective oxidation of CO in excess hydrogen： Effect of hydrothermal preparation conditions

High performance CuO-CeO₂ catalysts for selective oxidation of CO in excess hydrogen were prepared by a hydrothermal method under different preparation conditions and evaluated for catalytic activities and selectivities. By changing the n_CTAB/n_Ce ratio and hydrothermal aging time, the catalytic activity of the CuO-CeO₂ catalysts increased and the operating temperature window, in which the CO conversion was higher than 99%, was widened. XRD results showed no peaks of CuO_x species and Cu-Ce-O solid solution were observed. On the other hand, Cu⁺ species in the CuO-CeO₂ catalysts, which was associated with a strong interaction between copper oxide clusters and cerium oxide and could be favorable for improving the selective oxidation performance of CO in excess H₂, were detected by H₂-TPR and XPS techniques.     

Copper oxide on Cu/Al2O3-TiO2 catalystsTG,FTIR-CO absorption and catalytic activity in the NO reduction by CO

TG, FTIR-(CO absorption), and catalytic activity in the NO reduction by CO were used to characterize Cu/Al₂O₃-TiO₂ catalysts prepared by co-gelling aluminum tri-sec-butoxide and titanium iso-propoxide at pH 9 and at pH 3 gelling conditions. Under nitrogen flow, copper oxide decomposition, oxygen storage capacity (OSC) and sample dehydroxylation (total mass loss) was followed by TG. The CuO decomposition forming Cu⁰, Cu⁺¹ was observed by means of FTIR (CO absorption) spectra. In pH 9 sample the large amount of Cu⁰ was observed. At low total mass loss and high Cu⁰/Cu⁺¹+Cu⁺² ratio (pH 9 sample) a lowest light-off in the NO reduction by CO was observed. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Production of hydrogen by oxidative steam reforming of methanol over Cu/SiO2 catalysts

Selective production of hydrogen by oxidative steam reforming of methanol (OSRM) was studied over Cu/SiO₂ catalyst using fixed bed flow reactor. Textural and structural properties of the catalyst were analyzed by various instrumental methods. TPR analysis illustrates that the reduction temperature peak was observed between 510?K and 532?K at various copper loadings and calcination temperatures and the peaks shifted to higher temperature with increasing copper loading and calcination temperature. The XRD and XPS analysis demonstrates that the copper existed in different oxidation states at different conditions: Cu₂O, Cu⁰, CuO and Cu(OH)₂ in uncalcined sample; CuO in calcined sample: Cu₂O and metallic Cu after reduction at 600?K and Cu⁰ and CuO after catalytic test. TEM analysis reveals that at various copper loadings, the copper particle size is in the range between 3.0?nm and 3.8?nm. The Cu particle size after catalytic test increased from 3.6 to 4.8?nm, which is due to the formation of oxides of copper as evidenced from XRD and XPS analysis. The catalytic performance at various Cu loadings shows that with increasing Cu loading from 4.7 to 17.3?wt%, the activity increases and thereafter it decreases. Effect of calcination shows that the sample calcined at 673?K exhibited high activity. The O₂/CH₃OH and H₂O/CH₃OH molar ratios play important role in reaction rate and product distribution. The optimum molar ratios of O₂/CH₃OH and H₂O/CH₃OH are 0.25 and 0.1, respectively. When the reaction temperature varied from 473 to 548?K, the methanol conversion and H₂ production rate are in the range of 21.9–97.5% and 1.2–300.9?mmol?kg^?1?s^?1, respectively. The CO selectivity is negligible at these temperatures. Under the optimum conditions (17.3?wt%, Cu/SiO₂; calcination temperature 673?K; 0.25 O₂/CH₃OH molar ratio, 0.5 H₂O/CH₃OH molar ratio and reaction temperature 548?K), the maximum hydrogen yield obtained was 2.45?mol of hydrogen per mole of methanol. The time on stream stability test showed that the Cu/SiO₂ catalyst is quite stable for 48?h.     

Site‐Resolved Cu2O Catalysis in the Oxidation of CO

The identification of the contribution of different surface sites to the catalytic activity of a catalyst nanoparticle is one of the most challenging issues in the fundamental studies of heterogeneous catalysis. We herein demonstrate an effective strategy of using a series of uniform cubic Cu₂O nanocrystals with different sizes to identify the intrinsic activity and contributions of face and edge sites in the catalysis of CO oxidation by a combination of reaction kinetics analysis and DFT calculations. Cu₂O nanocrystals undergo in situ surface oxidation forming CuO thin films during CO oxidation. As the average size of the cubic Cu₂O nanocrystals decreases from 1029 nm to 34 nm, the dominant active sites contributing to the catalytic activity switch from face sites to edge sites. These results reveal the interplay between the intrinsic catalytic activity and the density of individual types of surface sites on a catalyst nanoparticle in determining their contributions to the catalytic activity.     

Facet‐Dependent Catalytic Activity of Cu2O Nanocrystals in the One‐Pot Synthesis of 1,2,3‐Triazoles by Multicomponent Click Reactions

We report the highly facet‐dependent catalytic activity of Cu₂O nanocubes, octahedra, and rhombic dodecahedra for the multicomponent direct synthesis of 1,2,3‐triazoles from the reaction of alkynes, organic halides, and NaN₃. The catalytic activities of clean surfactant‐removed Cu₂O nanocrystals with the same total surface area were compared. Rhombic dodecahedral Cu₂O nanocrystals bounded by {110} facets were much more catalytically active than Cu₂O octahedra exposing {111} facets, whereas Cu₂O nanocubes displayed the slowest catalytic activity. The superior catalytic activity of Cu₂O rhombic dodecahedra is attributed to the fully exposed surface Cu atoms on the {110} facet. A large series of 1,4‐disubstituted 1,2,3‐triazoles have been synthesized in excellent yields with high regioselectivity under green conditions by using these rhombic dodecahedral Cu₂O catalysts, including the synthesis of rufinamide, an antiepileptic drug, demonstrating the potential of these nanocrystals as promising heterogeneous catalysts for other important coupling reactions.     

The composite catalysts of Cu/CuxO nanoparticles supported on the carbon fibers were prepared for styrene oxidation reaction

In this paper a novel simple method for preparing two different catalysts with various‐valences copper was reported. Carbon nanofibers supported copper‐cuprous oxide nanoparticles (Cu‐Cu₂O NPs/CNFs) and copper oxide nanoparticles (CuO NPs/CNFs) through electrospinning, adsorption and reduction in the high‐pressure hydrogenation and the high‐temperature calcination methods. These catalysts were investigated by a series of characterizations and were applied in reaction in nitrogen atmosphere, which had a good catalytic activity and selectivity of benzaldehyde for the reaction. Above all, the new study has been certified clearly, in which Cu‐Cu₂O NPs/CNFs and CuO NPs/CNFs composite catalysts enhanced the generation of benzaldehydeand the excellent catalytic properties were exhibited.     

Conversion of CuO Nanoplates into Porous Hybrid Cu2O/Polypyrrole Nanoflakes through a Pyrrole‐Induced Reductive Transformation Reaction

Porous hybrid Cu₂O/polypyrrole nanoflakes have been synthesized from solid CuO nanoplate templates through the pyrrole‐induced reductive transformation reaction at elevated temperature. The conversion mechanism involves the reductive transformation of CuO to Cu₂O and the in situ oxidative polymerization of pyrrole to polypyrrole. In addition, the morphology of the as‐converted nanohybrids depends on the shape of the CuO precursors. The strategy enables us to transform single‐crystalline CuO nanosheets into hollow hybrid Cu₂O/polypyrrole nanoframes. The ability to transform CuO and an organic monomer into porous hybrid materials of conducting polymer and Cu₂O with macrosized morphological retention opens up interesting possibilities to create novel nanostructures. Electrochemical examinations show that these porous hybrid Cu₂O/polypyrrole nanostructures exhibit efficient catalytic activity towards oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), excellent methanol tolerance ability, and catalytic stability in alkaline solution, thus making them promising nonprecious‐metal‐based catalysts for ORR in alkaline fuel cells and metal–air batteries.     

Controlled modification of multi-walled carbon nanotubes with CuO,Cu2O and Cu nanoparticles

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) have been successfully modified with CuO, Cu₂O and Cu nanoparticles via a simple method, and the calcination temperature, the amount of NH₃·H₂O and soaking time play critical roles in controlling the final products. The modified MWNTs have been characterized by X-ray diffraction, infrared spectrum, scanning electron and transmission electron microscopies. Optical absorption of the obtained products has also been investigated, and the quantum confinement effect was illustrated in the absorption spectra.     

One‐Step Hydrothermal Synthesis of a Porous Cu2O Film and Its Photoelectrochemical Properties

A cuprous oxide (Cu₂O) film with a novel porous structure is successfully synthesized on Cu foil by using a simple hydrothermal method. A redox reaction occurs between Cu and Cu²⁺ in aqueous solution to form the Cu₂O film. The porous structures are formed as a result of the Ostwald ripening mechanism. In addition, photoluminescence measurements indicate that the porous Cu₂O film may reduce the recombination of photogenerated electrons and holes. The UV/Vis absorption property of the porous Cu₂O film is better than that of the granular Cu₂O film, and its high photocurrent is expected to make the porous Cu₂O film more suitable for solar energy applications.     

Hydrogen production from simulated hot coke oven gas by catalytic reforming over Ni/Mg（Al）O catalysts

Hydrogen production by catalytic reforming of simulated hot coke oven gas (HCOG) with toluene as a model tar compound was investigated in a fixed bed reactor over Ni/Mg(Al)O catalysts. The catalysts were prepared by a homogeneous precipitation method using urea hydrolysis and characterized by ICP, BET, XRD, TPR, TEM and TG. XRD showed that the hydrotalcite type precursor after calcination formed (Ni, Mg)Al₂O₄ spinel and Ni-Mg-O solid solution structure. TPR results suggested that the increase in Ni/Mg molar ratio gave rise to the decrease in the reduction temperature of Ni²⁺ to Ni⁰ on Ni/Mg(Al)O catalysts. The reaction results indicated that toluene and CH₄ could completely be converted to H₂ and CO in the catalytic reforming of the simulated HCOG under atmospheric pressure and the amount of H₂ in the reaction effluent gas was about 4 times more than that in original HCOG. The catalysts with lower Ni/Mg molar ratio showed better catalytic activity and resistance to coking, which may become promising catalysts in the catalytic reforming of HCOG.     

焙烧温度对K改性Ag-Fe/ZnO-ZrO2催化剂结构和CO加氢合成低碳混合醇醚性能的影响

采用并流共沉淀法在不同焙烧温度下制备K改性Ag-Fe/ZnO-ZrO₂催化剂,考察不同焙烧温度对催化剂CO加氢合成低碳混合醇醚反应性能的影响。通过N₂物理吸附(N₂-adsorption)、X射线衍射(XRD)、氢气程序升温还原(H₂-TPR)、一氧化碳程序升温脱附(CO-TPD)等手段对催化剂进行表征。结果表明,250 ℃焙烧的催化剂,由于焙烧温度较低,表面尚未形成足够多的活性位,未能达到最佳的催化性能;300 ℃焙烧的催化剂,其CO转化率最高、醇醚选择性较高,醇醚时空产率达到最大值。随着焙烧温度进一步升高,CO转化率逐渐降低,醇选择性先降低后增大,二甲醚(DME)选择性逐渐增大,醇醚时空产率逐渐降低。催化剂性能主要与其比表面积、还原性能、所含银铁复合物分散度及CO吸脱附性能有关,即比表面积较大、易于被还原、银铁复合物分散度较高以及较多的CO吸脱附活性位,有利于催化剂CO加氢转化。催化剂表面活性位对CO的非解离吸附强度降低,有利于醇醚产物的生成;而对CO的解离吸附强度增强,则不利于烃类产物的生成。     

Mechanism of CO oxidation in excess H2 over CuO/CeO2 catalysts: ESR and TPD studies

The oxidation of CO with oxygen over (0.25–6.4)% CuO/CeO₂ catalysts in excess H₂ is studied. CO conversion increases and the temperature range of the reaction decreases by 100 K as the CuO content is raised. The maximal CO conversion, 98.5%, is achieved on 6.4% CuO/CeO₂ at 150°C. At T > 150°C, the CO conversion decreases as a result of the deactivation of part of the active sites because of the dissociative adsorption of hydrogen. CO is efficiently adsorbed on the oxidized catalyst to form CO-Cu⁺ carbonyls on Cu₂O clusters and is oxidized by the oxygen of these clusters, whereas it is neither adsorbed nor oxidized on Cu⁰ of the reduced catalysts. The activity of the catalysts is recovered after the dissociative adsorption of O₂ on Cu⁰ at T ～ 150°C. The activation energies of CO, CO₂, and H₂O desorption are estimated, and the activation energy of CO adsorption yielding CO-Cu⁺ carbonyls is calculated in the framework of the Langmuir-Hinshelwood model.     

Crystal‐Plane‐Controlled Selectivity of Cu2O Catalysts in Propylene Oxidation with Molecular Oxygen

The selective oxidation of propylene with O₂ to propylene oxide and acrolein is of great interest and importance. We report the crystal‐plane‐controlled selectivity of uniform capping‐ligand‐free Cu₂O octahedra, cubes, and rhombic dodecahedra in catalyzing propylene oxidation with O₂: Cu₂O octahedra exposing {111} crystal planes are most selective for acrolein; Cu₂O cubes exposing {100} crystal planes are most selective for CO₂; Cu₂O rhombic dodecahedra exposing {110} crystal planes are most selective for propylene oxide. One‐coordinated Cu on Cu₂O(111), three‐coordinated O on Cu₂O(110), and two‐coordinated O on Cu₂O(100) were identified as the catalytically active sites for the production of acrolein, propylene oxide, and CO₂, respectively. These results reveal that crystal‐plane engineering of oxide catalysts could be a useful strategy for developing selective catalysts and for gaining fundamental understanding of complex heterogeneous catalytic reactions at the molecular level.     

In Situ Generation and Stabilization of Accessible Cu/Cu2O Heterojunctions inside Organic Frameworks for Highly Efficient Catalysis

Heterostructural metal/metal oxides are the very promising substituents of noble‐metal catalysts; however, generation and further stabilization of accessible metal/metal oxide heterojunctions are very difficult. A strategy to encapsulate and stabilize Cu/Cu₂O nanojunctions in porous organic frameworks in situ is developed by tuning the acrylate contents in copper‐based metal–organic frameworks (Cu‐MOFs) and the pyrolytic conditions. The acrylate groups play important roles on improving the polymerization degree of organic frameworks and generating and stabilizing highly dispersed and accessible Cu/Cu₂O heteronanojunctions. As a result, pyrolysis of the MOF ZJU‐199, consisting of three acrylates per ligand, generates abundant heterostructural Cu/Cu₂O discrete domains inside porous organic matrices at 350 °C, demonstrating excellent catalytic properties in liquid‐phase hydrogenation of furfural into furfuryl alcohol, which are much superior to the non‐noble metal‐based catalysts.     

Nano‐Fe3O4@TiO2/Cu2O Core‐shell Composite: A Convenient Magnetic Separable Catalyst for A3 and KA2 Coupling

An eco‐efficient one‐pot three component reaction between different aldehydes or ketones with alkynes and amines for the synthesis of propargylamines was performed using Fe₃O₄@TiO₂/Cu₂O as a nano‐magnetic composite under solvent free condition. The catalyst showed remarkable catalytic activity by decreasing the time of the reaction in comparison of other reported magnetic catalysts. In addition, the Fe₃O₄@TiO₂/Cu₂O can be easily recycled and reutilized for five times without apparent loss of catalytic activity.     

Synthesis and crystal structure of a new copper (II) complex,designed to produce efficient successor of Cu2O,toward synergy of adsorption and photodegradation of MB

A new copper (II) coordination complex formulated as [Cu (dipic)(phen)(2-MePy)]. 2H₂O ( 1 ) where phen = 1, 10-phenanthroline, dipic²⁻ = pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylato and 2-MePy = 2-methyl pyrrole was synthesized through a simple and environment-friendly reaction under ultrasound irradiation. Also, complex 1 was synthesized by hydrothermal process at 120 °C for 3 days. The corresponding structure of complex 1 was characterized by elemental analysis, atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS), inductively coupled plasma (ICP), conductivity measurement, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), Raman spectroscopy, ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–Vis), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), differential thermal analysis (DTA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), vibrating sample magnetometer (VSM) and fluorescence. The crystal structure of the hydrothermally synthesized complex was characterized by single crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD(, which revealed a triclinic structure. In the remainder of this study, the Cu₂O nanoparticles have been prepared via thermal decomposition of hydrothermal and ultrasound complexes and characterized by ICP, FT-IR, powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), SEM and N₂ adsorption/desorption. Adsorption and visible-light-driven photocatalytic capabilities of two synthetic Cu₂O were investigated in the removal of MB from water. The result showed that the synthesized catalysts have good catalytic activity and the photocatalytic degradation is more effective in dye removal of MB compared with the adsorption.     

Ni-Fe/La2O2CO3催化乙醇水蒸气重整制氢的研究

采用La2(CO3)3空气焙烧法制备了La2O2CO3载体、采用浸渍法制备了Ni,Fe不同比例的Ni-Fe双金属催化剂及Ni/La2O2CO3,Fe/La2 O2 CO3催化剂,考察了各催化剂从300～700℃催化乙醇水蒸气重整反应的性能,并用BET,XRD,TPR等技术对催化剂进行表征。结果表明,相对单一金属催化剂,Ni-Fe双金属催化剂均表现出更高的活性,这可能是因为高分散的Ni,Fe和LaFeyNi1-yO3的共存作用。其中Ni含量为10%,Fe含量为5%时的Ni-Fe/La2O2CO3表现出最高的活性,400℃时乙醇的转化率为100%,H2的选择性最高达到94.1%,而CO的选择性则低至1.2%。     

Tailoring Active Cu2O/Copper Interface Sites for N-Formylation of Aliphatic Primary Amines with CO2/H2

Heterogeneously catalyzed N-formylation of amines to formamide with CO₂/H₂ is highly attractive for the valorization of CO₂. However, the relationship of the catalytic performance with the catalyst structure is still elusive. Herein, mixed valence catalysts containing Cu₂O/Cu interface sites were constructed for this transformation. Both aliphatic primary and secondary amines with diverse structures were efficiently converted into the desired formamides with good to excellent yields. Combined ex and in situ catalyst characterization revealed that the presence of Cu₂O/Cu interface sites was vital for the excellent catalytic activity. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrated that better catalytic activity of Cu₂O/Cu(111) than Cu(111) is attributed to the assistance of oxygen at the Cu₂O/Cu interface (O_inter) in formation of O_inter-H moieties, which not only reduce the apparent barrier of HCOOH formation but also benefit the desorption of the desired N-formylated amine, leading to high activity and selectivity.     

甲醇水蒸气重整制氢Cu/ZnO/Al2O3催化剂的研究

燃料电池作为一种无污染、高效率的能源引起世界各大汽车公司的广泛关注[1,2]。用于燃料电池的燃料目前研究较多的是氢气,用氢气作燃料存在储存、安全、运输等问题,寻求合适贮氢方法或替代燃料,实现车载制氢是解决问题的办法。甲醇作为液体燃料,因具有高能量密度,低碳含量,以及运输和贮存等优势成为车载制氢的理想燃料,甲醇水蒸气重整制氢反应也成为研究的热点[3～10]。车载制氢对甲醇水蒸气重整制氢反应体系中的产氢速率,氢气和CO的含量都有一定的要求。尤其对CO含量要求更为苛刻,因CO易引起燃料电池阳极催化剂中毒[11,12]。因此,开…     

Synergistic effects of potassium promoter and carbon fibers on direct synthesis of isobutanol from syngas over Cu/ZnO/Al2O3 catalysts obtained from hydrotalcite-like compounds

The Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalysts (CuZnAl) can be utilized to directly synthesize higher alcohols from syngas under mild conditions. Carbon fibers (CFs) are widely used as a catalyst supporter, and potassium is usually used as a good electron assistant for charge transfer to the active phase of the catalyst. However, little is known about the combined effects of CFs and potassium on Cu/ZnO/Al₂O₃ catalysts. In this work, the CuZnAl catalysts supported on activated carbon fibers (ACFs) were prepared by a co-precipitation method, and then the catalysts were modified by potassium. The catalytic performances of K-modified CuZnAl and composites containing ACFs and CuZnAl were evaluated. Addition of ACFs and/or potassium increased CO conversion and selectivity for isobutanol compared with pure CuZnAl. All the samples were characterized by BET, XRD, SEM–EDS, CO–TPD, and Raman spectroscopy to further disclose the reason for better catalytic performance of the catalysts with ACFs and/or potassium. We found that addition of ACFs or potassium promotes moderate CO adsorption and formation of the active phase (CuO/ZnO solid solution) during alcohol synthesis, which facilitates synthesis of higher alcohols and CO conversion. As a result, ACFs and potassium exhibited synergistic effects on improvement of CO conversion and selectivity for isobutanol.