Nanosized CeO2–SiO2, CeO2–TiO2, and CeO2–ZrO2 Mixed Oxides: Influence of Supporting Oxide on Thermal Stability and Oxygen Storage Properties of Ceria

The influence of SiO₂, TiO₂, and ZrO₂ on the structural and redox properties of CeO₂ were systematically investigated by various techniques namely, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy (RS), UV–Vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HREM), BET surface area, and thermogravimetry methods. The effect of supporting oxides on the crystal modification of ceria was also mainly focused. The investigated oxides were obtained by soft chemical routes with ultrahigh dilute solutions and were subjected to thermal treatments from 773 to 1073 K. The XRD results suggest that the CeO₂–SiO₂ sample primarily consists of nanocrystalline CeO₂ on the amorphous SiO₂ surface. Both crystalline CeO₂ and TiO₂-anatase phases were noted in the case of CeO₂–TiO₂ sample. Formation of cubic Ce_0.75Zr_0.25O₂ and Ce_0.6Zr_0.4O₂ (at 1073 K) were observed in the case of CeO₂–ZrO₂ sample. The cell ‘a’ parameter estimations revealed an expansion of the ceria lattice in the case of CeO₂–TiO₂, while a contraction is noted in the case of CeO₂–ZrO₂. The DRS studies suggest that the supporting oxides significantly influence the band gap energy of CeO₂. Raman measurements disclose the presence of oxygen vacancies, lattice defects, and displacement of oxide ions from their normal lattice positions in the case of CeO₂–TiO₂ and CeO₂–ZrO₂ samples. The XPS studies revealed the presence of silica, titania, and zirconia in their highest oxidation states, Si(IV), Ti(IV), and Zr(IV) at the surface of the materials. Cerium is present in both Ce⁴⁺ and Ce³⁺ oxidation states. The HREM results reveal well-dispersed CeO₂ nanocrystals over the amorphous SiO₂ matrix in the case of CeO₂–SiO₂, isolated CeO₂ and TiO₂ (A) nanocrystals and some overlapping regions in the case of CeO₂–TiO₂, and nanosized CeO₂ and Ce–Zr oxides in the case of CeO₂–ZrO₂ sample. The exact structural features of these crystals as determined by digital diffraction analysis of HREM experimental images reveal that the CeO₂ is mainly in cubic fluorite geometry. The oxygen storage capacity (OSC) as determined by thermogravimetry reveals that the OSC of mixed oxides is more than that of pure CeO₂ and the CeO₂–ZrO₂ exhibits highest OSC.     

In situ FTIRS studies of the electrocatalytic oxidation of ethanol on Pt alloy electrodes

Ethanol oxidation on Pt–Os and Pt–Ru–Os alloy electrodes was investigated by electrochemical and spectroelectrochemical techniques. Cyclic voltammetry and chronoamperometric results showed that the Pt–Os alloy has the highest current density at lower potentials. Linear CO_ads, acetic acid, acetaldehyde, and CO₂ were identified as reaction intermediates and/or products by single potential alteration infrared reflectance spectroscopy and subtractively normalized interfacial Fourier transform infrared reflectance spectroscopy techniques. The in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy results showed that the electrooxidative adsorption of ethanol was dissociative providing CO_ads at low potentials. Dedicated to our friend Professor Francisco Carlos Nart (in memorium), IQSC-USP, Brazil.     

Palladium catalysts deposited on silicon nitride in the deep oxidation of methane

The physicochemical and catalytic properties of palladium catalysts were studied in the deep oxidation of methane. The catalysts were deposited on silicon nitride from aqueous (Pd/Si₃N₄-a) and toluene (Pd/Si₃N₄-t) solutions of palladium acetate. The use of aqueous and organic solutions of palladium acetate, all other preparation conditions being equal, resulted in the formation of palladium systems with different catalytic properties. The sample from Pd/Si₃N₄-t was characterized by high activity and stability. The systems studied had different structures and adsorption properties of palladium nanoparticles, which influenced the form of reagent adsorption, catalytic properties, and mechanism of surface reactions. The suggestion was made that the solvent played a key role in the formation of the active surface of Pd-containing catalytic systems.     

Revealing the unexpected promotion effect of EuOx on Pt/CeO2 catalysts for catalytic combustion of toluene

Pt/Eu₂O₃-CeO₂ materials with different Eu concentrations were prepared and applied to toluene destruction, and the remarkable promotion impact of EuO_x on Pt/CeO₂ can be observed. The characterization results reveal that the presence of EuO_x significantly enhances the redox property, lattice O concentration, and Ce³⁺ ratio of the Pt/CeO₂ material, which facilitates the dispersion and activity of Pt active sites and thus accelerates the decomposition process of toluene. Among all catalysts, a sample with an Eu content of 2.5 at.% (Pt/EC-2.5) possesses the best catalytic activity with 0.09 vol% of toluene completely destructed at 200 °C under a relatively high GHSV of 50000 h^?1. The possible reaction pathway and mechanism of toluene combustion over Pt/Eu₂O₃-CeO₂ samples are presented according to in-situ DRIFTS, which confirms that the toluene oxidation process obeys the Mars-van Krevelen mechanism with aldehydes and ketones as primary organic intermediates.     

Plasma treatment of Ni and Pt catalysts for partial oxidation of methane

Summary In this work DBD (dielectric barrier discharge) plasma treatments of 10%Ni/Al₂O₃and 1%Pt/Al₂O₃catalysts have been conducted to study the principles of plasma treatment of supported catalysts. It was found that 10%Ni/Al₂O₃and 1%Pt/Al₂O₃catalysts treated by plasma exhibit a higher catalytic activity and a better stability than the catalysts prepared without plasma treatment. Methane conversion over the plasma treated catalyst is 3-5% higher than on untreated catalysts. The metal species dispersion also increased after plasma treatment, which leads to improvement of the interaction between active species and supports, the catalytic activities and the resistance to carbon deposition.</o:p>     

Comparative study of the activity of Al?Pd and Al?Pt catalysts in deep oxidation of hydrocarbons

Atomic catalytic activity of palladium has been revealed to be higher than that of platinum in deep oxidation of methane and lower in the case of butane. According to the experimental data and the quantum-chemical calculation, the observed effects are ascribed to the different bond strength of the surface oxygen due to different reaction conditions.

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, _{Pd Pt}, . _{Pd Pt} - , .

     

Inhibition effect of sulfation on Pt/TiO2 catalysts in methane combustion

Methane as an attractive clean energy is a strong greenhouse gas with the global warming potential 86 times higher than that of CO2 over 20 years[1].Hence,the removal of unburned methane emitted from natural gas application processes is a serious environmental issue.However,methane is a geometrically high-symmetric and nonpolar molecule with high C-H bond energy(439 kJ mol-1)and low electron affinity(4.4 eV),rendering it extremely difficult to be activated under mild conditions[2].     

Comparative study of LaNiO3 and La2NiO4 catalysts for partial oxidation of methane

The catalytic activity and stability of LaNiO₃ and La₂NiO₄, prepared using a citric acid complex method, have been investigated for partial oxidation of methane (POM) to synthesis gas. The catalysts were characterized by thermo-gravimetric analysis (TG), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) and temperature-programmed desorption of ammonia (NH₃-TPD). The results show that the catalytic activity and stability of La₂NiO₄ are higher than those of LaNiO₃, due to the stronger interactions between Ni and La₂O₃ in La₂NiO₄ and to its lower acidity as demonstrated by TPR and NH₃-TPD. TG result indicates that carbon deposition occurs on both catalysts, and the carbon species deposited on La₂NiO₄ are mainly metal carbides, while on LaNiO₃ are mainly graphite.     

Influence of Pt and Pd on the catalytic activity of tungsten and molybdenum oxides in the deep oxidation of methane

It has been shown that the phases H_xMO₃ and MO_3−x (M = Mo, W), obtained by reduction of the oxides WO₃ and MoO₃ with hydrogen with supported Pt(Pd) (0.5 mass %), have higher catalytic activity in the deep oxidation of methane than the catalysts Pt/Al₂O₃ and Pd/Al₂O₃ with the same amount of supported metal. At temperatures above 700 K the activity of these catalysts decreases in consequence of the thermal decomposition of the phases H_xMO₃ and MO_3−x and they become similar in activity with Pt(Pd)/Al₂O₃. __________ Translated from Teoreticheskaya i éksperimental’naya Khimiya, Vol. 44, No. 2, pp. 126–129, March–April, 2008.     

Theoretical study on the reaction of methane and zinc oxide in gas phase

The mechanism of the reaction between CH₄ and ZnO has been studied theoretically at the CCSD(T)//B3LYP/6-311++G(2d,2p) levels. Four possible reaction pathways, yielding three products of syngas, HCHO and CH₃OH, respectively, have been evaluated. All the four pathways are predicted to occur via the formation of CH₄ZnO molecular complex with two H atoms of CH₄ approaching to the Zn end of ZnO. From this complex, the insertion of ZnO into the CH bond of CH₄ might proceed through two concerted manners along with charge transfer process. The pathway corresponding to the production of syngas is energetically feasible, in which the cleavage of CH and ZnH bonds with the formation of H₂ molecule is predicted to be the rate-limiting-step with the energy barrier of 45.4 kcal/mol.     

Au/TiO2催化剂上非催化CO氧化反应中活性氧物种的生成和消除

在定量的瞬时产物分析(TAP)反应器中,于80 oC下采用CO脉冲和O2脉冲补充等方法,研究了高温(400 oC)焙烧的Au/TiO2催化剂上活性氧物种的移除反应活性,特别是活性氧物种的性质。以往的研究大多关注的是CO催化氧化反应中活性氧物种及其性质,在典型的反应条件下该物种的形成和消除是可逆的;而本研究表明,催化剂直接焙烧后就存在额外的氧物种;该物种对CO氧化反应也具有活性,但其在典型的反应条件下不生成或生成很少。基于此,讨论了Au/TiO2催化剂上CO氧化反应的机理,特别是不同活性氧物种的作用。     

Effect of the microstructure of Pt/CeO2-TiO2 catalysts on their catalytic properties in CO oxidation

The microstructure of 2% Pt/CeO₂-TiO₂ catalysts has an effect on their catalytic properties in CO oxidation. The nanostructured catalysts as platinum clusters 0.3–0.5 nm in size are the most active. These clusters are stabilized at crystal boundaries formed by irregularly intergrown anatase particles. The catalyst containing platinum particles 2–5 nm in size is less active because of the decrease in the extent of dispersion of platinum and the change of its electron state.     

Synthesis of polymer-supported TEMPO catalysts and their application in the oxidation of various alcohols

We describe the synthesis of a recyclable polymer-supported TEMPO as a catalyst in the Anelli oxidation of various primary alcohols to afford the corresponding aldehydes in good yields.     

State of palladium in palladium-aluminosilicate catalysts as studied by XPS and the catalytic activity of the catalysts in the deep oxidation of methane

Palladium catalysts based on Siralox and AS aluminosilicate supports for the deep oxidation of methane were studied. With the use of XRD analysis, it was found that they were heterophase systems consisting of an amorphous aluminosilicate and γ-Al₂O₃ stabilized against agglomeration. It was found that the catalytic activity of palladium-aluminosilicate catalysts in the deep oxidation of methane at 500°C depended on the support precalcination temperature. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to study the states of the AS-30 aluminosilicate support calcined at 600, 800, or 1000°C and palladium supported on it. It was found that the action of an acid impregnation solution of palladium nitrate on the aluminosilicate calcined at 800°C resulted in a structural rearrangement of the aluminosilicate surface. This rearrangement resulted in the stabilization of both palladium oxide and palladium metal particles at surface defects and the incorporation of these particles into the aluminosilicate after catalyst calcination. As a result, an anomalous decrease in catalytic activity was observed in aluminosilicate samples calcined at 800°C. According to XPS data, palladium in the catalyst was stabilized in the following three phases: metal (E _b(Pd 3d _5/2) = 334.8 eV), oxide (E _b(Pd 3d _5/2) = 336.8 eV), and “interaction” (E _b(Pd 3d _5/2) = 335.8 eV) phases. The ratio between these phases depended on support and catalyst calcination temperatures. The interaction phase, which consisted of PdO_x clusters stabilized in the aluminosilicate structure, was responsible for the retention of activity after calcination at high temperatures (800°C). Based on an analysis of XPS data, it was hypothesized that palladium in the interaction phase occurred in a charged state with the formal charge on the Pd atom close to 1 + (δ+ phase).     

Numerical study on soot removal in partial oxidation of methane to syngas reactors

The serious carbon deposition existing in catalytic partial oxidation of methane (CPOM) to syngas process is one of the key problems that impede its industrialization. In this study, 3-dimensional unsteady numerical simulations of the soot formation and oxidation in oxidation section in a heat coupling reactor were carried out by computational fluid dynamics (CFD) approach incorporating the Moss-Brookes model for soot formation. The model has been validated and proven to be in good agreement with experiment results. Effects of nozzle type, nozzle convergence angle, channel spacing, number of channels, radius/height ratio, oxygen/carbon ratio, preheat temperature and additional introduction of steam on the soot formation were simulated. Results show that the soot formation in oxidation section of the heat coupling reactor depends on both nozzle structures and operation conditions, and the soot concentration can be greatly reduced by optimization with the maximum mass fraction of soot inside the oxidation reactor from 2.28% to 0.0501%, and so that the soot mass fraction at the exit reduces from 0.74% to 0.03%.     

Novel Ni/CeO2-Al2O3 composite catalysts synthesized by one-step citric acid complex and their performance in catalytic partial oxidation of methane

A series of novel Ni/CeO2-Al2O3composite catalysts were synthesized by one-step citric acid complex method. The as-synthesized catalysts were characterized by N2physical adsorption/desorption, X-ray diffraction(XRD), Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR) spectroscopy, hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction(H2-TPR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) and thermogravimetry analysis(TGA). The effects of nickel content, calcination and reaction temperatures, gas hourly space velocity(GHSV) and inert gas dilution of N2on their performance of catalytic partial oxidation of methane(CPOM) were investigated. Catalytic activity test results show that the highest methane conversion(85%), the best selectivities to carbon monoxide(87%) and to hydrogen(95%), the excellent stability and perfect H2/CO ratio(2.0) can be obtained over Ni/CeO2-Al2O3with 8 wt% Ni content calcined at 700 ℃ under the reaction condition of 750 ℃, CH4/O2ratio of 2 : 1 and gas hourly space velocity of 12000 mL h-1 g-1. Characterization results show that the good catalytic performance of this composite catalyst can be contributed to its large specific surface area(～108 m2 g-1), small crystallite size, easy reducibility and low coking rate.     

Novel Ni/CeO2-Al2O3 composite catalysts synthesized by one-step citric acid complex and their performance in catalytic partial oxidation of methane

A series of novel Ni/CeO2-Al2O3composite catalysts were synthesized by one-step citric acid complex method. The as-synthesized catalysts were characterized by N2physical adsorption/desorption, X-ray diffraction(XRD), Fourier transform infrared(FT-IR) spectroscopy, hydrogen temperature-programmed reduction(H2-TPR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) and thermogravimetry analysis(TGA). The effects of nickel content, calcination and reaction temperatures, gas hourly space velocity(GHSV) and inert gas dilution of N2on their performance of catalytic partial oxidation of methane(CPOM) were investigated. Catalytic activity test results show that the highest methane conversion(85%), the best selectivities to carbon monoxide(87%) and to hydrogen(95%), the excellent stability and perfect H2/CO ratio(2.0) can be obtained over Ni/CeO2-Al2O3with 8 wt% Ni content calcined at 700 ℃ under the reaction condition of 750 ℃, CH4/O2ratio of 2 : 1 and gas hourly space velocity of 12000 mL h-1 g-1. Characterization results show that the good catalytic performance of this composite catalyst can be contributed to its large specific surface area(～108 m2 g-1), small crystallite size, easy reducibility and low coking rate.     

The performance of the rapid estimation of basis set error and correlation energy from partial charges method on new molecules of the G3/99 test set

Experimental enthalpies of formation have been approximated using single-point Hartree–Fock (HF)–self-consistent-field (SCF) total energies plus the rapid estimation of basis set error and correlation energy from partial charges (REBECEP) energy corrections. The energy corrections are calculated from the HF–SCF partial atomic charges and optimized atomic energy parameters. The performance of the method was tested on 51 closed-shell neutral molecules (50 molecules from the G3/99 thermochemistry database plus urea, composed of H, C, N, O, and F atoms). The predictive force of the method is demonstrated, because these larger molecules were not used for the optimization of the atomic parameters. We used the earlier RECEP-3 [HF/6-311+G(2d,p)] and REBECEP [HF/6-31G(d)] atomic parameter sets obtained from the G2/97 thermochemistry database (containing small molecules) together with natural population analysis and Mulliken partial charges. The best results were obtained using the natural population analysis charges, although the Mulliken charges also provide useful results. The root-mean-square deviations from the experimental enthalpies of formation for the selected 51 molecules are 1.15, 3.96, and 2.92 kcal/mol for Gaussian-3, B3LYP/6-11+G(3df,2p), and REBECEP (natural population analysis) enthalpies of formation, respectively (the corresponding average absolute deviations are 0.94, 7.09, and 2.27 kcal/mol, respectively). The REBECEP method performs considerably better for the 51 test molecules with a moderate 6-31G(d) basis set than the B3LYP method with a large 6-311+G(3df,2p) basis set. Received: 10 March 2001 / Accepted: 5 July 2001 / Published online: 11 October 2001     

Chemical reactivity and selectivity using Fukui functions: basis set and population scheme dependence in the framework of B3LYP theory

The use of Fukui functions for the site selectivity of the formaldehyde molecule for nucleophilic, electrophilic and radical attacks has been made with special emphasis to the dependence of Fukui values on the basis sets as well as population schemes in the framework of B3LYP theory. Out of the five population schemes selected viz., Mulliken population analysis, natural population analysis, CHELP, CHELPG and atoms in molecules (AIM), it is found that the CHELPG and AIM schemes predict precise reactive site with less dependency on the basis sets. Charges derived from Hirshfeld partitioning, calculated using the BLYP/dnd method (implemented in the DMOL³ package), provide non-negative Fukui values for all the molecular systems considered in this study. Supporting results have been obtained for acetaldehyde and acetone molecules at the 6-31+G** basis set level. These results support the fact that high Fukui values correspond to soft–soft interaction sites. On the other hand, the correlation of the low Fukui value to the hard–hard interaction site merits further investigation. Received: 10 November 2001 / Accepted: 6 March 2002 / Published online: 13 June 2002     

Characterization of VOx-TiO2 catalysts and their activity in the partial oxidation of methyl ethyl ketone

The present work focuses on the partial oxidation of methyl ethyl ketone to acetic acid over TiO₂ supported vanadia catalysts with V loadings from 1 to 13.5 wt.%. In order to elucidate the relation between catalytic activity and the structure of the catalysts, the catalysts were also characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), temperature programmed reduction with hydrogen (TPR), and temperature programmed desorption of lattice oxygen (TPD-O₂). The investigations show that with increasing V loading the MEK conversion increased whereas the turn-over frequency decreased. At lower V loading (1–4 wt.%) the total oxidation to CO_x was favoured and the selectivities to acetic acid and other oxygenated products were low. The highest selectivities to acetic acid were achieved at V loadings of 4–6 wt.%. Based on literature data and our results, a scheme of the reaction pathways for the partial oxidation of MEK to AcOH and other by-products was developed.