Adsorption of liquid-phase alkane mixtures in silicalite: simulations and experiment

A combination of experimental and computational studies of adsorption from liquid-phase mixtures of linear alkanes in the zeolite silicalite is presented here. Configurational biased grand canonical Monte Carlo simulations combined with identity-swap moves are used to equilibrate the simulations in reasonable times. Interesting trends observed in experiments have been captured quantitatively by simulations. A siting analysis of the simulation data reveals that, during adsorption from a liquid mixture, shorter alkanes prefer the zigzag channels and longer alkanes concentrate in the straight channels of silicalite.     

Monte Carlo simulation for the adsorption and separation of linear and branched alkanes in IRMOF-1

The adsorption and separation of linear and branched alkanes in the isoreticular metal-organic framework IRMOF-1 have been investigated using Monte Carlo simulation. For pure linear alkanes (C1-nC5), the limiting adsorption properties exhibit linear behavior with the alkane carbon number; the long alkane is preferentially adsorbed over the short alkane at low fugacities, whereas the reverse is found at high fugacities. For pure branched alkanes (C5 isomers), the linear isomer adsorbs more than its branched analogue. The adsorbed amounts of pure alkanes in IRMOF-1 are substantially greater than in a carbon nanotube bundle and in silicalite. For a five-component mixture of C1 to nC5 linear alkanes, the long alkane adsorption first increases and then decreases with increasing fugacity, whereas short alkane adsorption continually increases and progressively replaces the long alkane at high fugacity due to the size entropy effect. For a three-component mixture of C5 isomers, the adsorption of each isomer increases with increasing fugacity until saturation, though there is less adsorption of the branched isomer due to the configurational entropy effect. The adsorption selectivity among the alkanes in IRMOF-1 is smaller than in a carbon nanotube bundle and in silicalite.     

Separation of gas mixtures using a range of zeolite membranes: a molecular-dynamics study

Gas separation efficiencies of three zeolite membranes (Faujasite, MFI, and Chabazite) have been examined using the method of molecular dynamics. Our investigation has allowed us to study the effects of pore size and structure, state conditions, and compositions on the permeation of two binary gas mixtures, O(2)N(2) and CO(2)N(2). We have found that for the mixture components with similar sizes and adsorption characteristics, such as O(2)N(2), small-pore zeolites are not suited for separations, and this result is explicable at the molecular level. For mixture components with differing adsorption behavior, such as CO(2)N(2), separation is mainly governed by adsorption and small-pore zeolites separate such gases quite efficiently. When selective adsorption takes place, we have found that, for species with low adsorption, the permeation rate is low, even if the diffusion rate is quite high. Our results further indicate that loading (adsorption) dominates the separation of gas mixtures in small-pore zeolites, such as MFI and Chabazite. For larger-pore zeolites such as Faujasite, diffusion rates do have some effect on gas mixture separation, although adsorption continues to be important. Finally, our simulations using existing intermolecular potential models have replicated all known experimental results for these systems. This shows that molecular simulations could serve as a useful screening tool to determine the suitability of a membrane for potential separation applications.     

n- and isoalkane adsorption mechanisms on zeolite MCM-22

Low-coverage adsorption properties (Henry constants, adsorption enthalpy, and entropy) of linear and branched alkanes (C3-C8) on zeolite MCM-22 were determined using the chromatographic technique at temperatures between 420 and 540 K. It was found that adsorption enthalpy and entropy of linear alkanes vary in a nonmonotonic way with carbon number. The adsorption behavior of alkanes was rationalized on the basis of the pore geometry. Short molecules prefer to reside in the pockets of the MCM-22 supercage, where they maximize energetic interaction with the zeolite. Longer molecules reside in the larger central part of the supercage. For carbon numbers up to six, singly branched alkanes are selectively adsorbed over their linear counterparts. This preference originates from the entropic advantage of singly branched molecules inside MCM-22 supercages, where these species have high rotational freedom because of their small length.     

The adsorption and localization of mixtures of C4-C7 alkane isomers in zeolites by computer simulation

Grand canonical Monte Carlo and configurational-bias Monte Carlo techniques were employed to simulate the adsorption of binary mixtures of C(4)-C(7) alkane isomers in ISV and MOR zeolites at 300 K, and the results were compared to that in MFI. Unlike in MFI, the amount of adsorption of the linear and branched alkanes all increases with pressure increasing in ISV and MOR for 0.5-0.5 gas-phase mixtures. The location of alkane isomers is astatic, and it does not exhibit obvious orientation in ISV and MOR. The interaction energy of 2-methylpropane-zeolite is obviously higher than that of n-butane-zeolite in MFI. As to ISV and MOR, the interaction energy between 2-methylpropane and zeolite is a little lower than that between n-butane and zeolite. It can be found that the zeolite MFI behaves quite differently in adsorption from ISV and MOR.     

Theoretical study on the dehydrogenation reaction of alkanes catalyzed by zeolites containing nonframework gallium species

The dehydrogenation reaction of light alkanes in gallium-containing zeolites was studied by using density functional theory (DFT) and a nonframework gallium species in the dihydridegallium ion form. Two different mechanisms were considered: a 3-step mechanism and a 1-step concerted mechanism. The reactions occurring through the 3-step mechanism showed smaller activation barriers than the ones following the concerted mechanism. However, the energy barrier for the 3-step mechanism seems to be more influenced by the size and type (linear or branched) of the hydrocarbon chain and demands major conformational rearrangement, which could be hampered by the zeolite framework, especially for larger and/or branched hydrocarbons. On the other hand, the concerted mechanism seems to be much less dependent on the substrates geometry. Therefore, the concerted mechanism could be preferential when dealing with larger and/or branched alkanes.     

In silico screening of metal-organic frameworks in separation applications

Porous materials such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs) offer considerable potential for separating a variety of mixtures such as those relevant for CO(2) capture (CO(2)/H(2), CO(2)/CH(4), CO(2)/N(2)), CH(4)/H(2), alkanes/alkenes, and hydrocarbon isomers. There are basically two different separation technologies that can be employed: (1) a pressure swing adsorption (PSA) unit with a fixed bed of adsorbent particles, and (2) a membrane device, wherein the mixture is allowed to permeate through a micro-porous crystalline layer. In view of the vast number of MOFs, and ZIFs that have been synthesized there is a need for a systematic screening of potential candidates for any given separation task. Also of importance is to investigate how MOFs and ZIFs stack up against the more traditional zeolites such as NaX and NaY with regard to their separation characteristics. This perspective highlights the potency of molecular simulations in determining the choice of the best MOF or ZIF for a given separation task. A variety of metrics that quantify the separation performance, such as adsorption selectivity, working capacity, diffusion selectivity, and membrane permeability, are determined from a combination of Configurational-Bias Monte Carlo (CBMC) and Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations. The practical utility of the suggested screening methodology is demonstrated by comparison with available experimental data.     

Diffusion of alkane mixtures in zeolites: validating the maxwell-stefan formulation using MD simulations

Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been carried out for pure components, binary, ternary, and quaternary mixtures containing methane, ethane, propane, and n-butane in FAU zeolite at 300 K for a range of molecular loadings Theta, approaching saturation limits. The n-dimensional matrix of Maxwell-Stefan (M-S) diffusivities [Delta], defined by (N) = -rho[Delta][Gamma](nabla Theta), was determined along with the self-diffusivities, D(i)(,self). Additionally, configurational-bias Monte Carlo (CBMC) simulations were carried out to obtain the pure component sorption isotherms and the saturation capacities Theta(i)(,sat). From the information on Delta(ij), D(i)(,self), and Theta(i)(,sat), the various M-S diffusivities were determined: (1) component D(i), reflecting the interactions of the species i with the zeolite, self-exchange D(ii), and (2) binary exchange D(ij). The obtained data underline the major advantage of the M-S formulation that at a given occupancy, theta = Sigma(N)(n)(i=l)Theta(j)/Theta(j)(,sat) within the zeolite, the D(i) has nearly the same value for species i whether this species is present on its own or in a mixture with other species. The same advantage holds, too, for the self-exchange D(ii); the value at a given occupancy, theta, is the same whether determined from pure component, binary, or ternary mixture data. For all binary and ternary mixtures studied, it was verified that the binary exchange coefficient D(ij) can be interpolated from the corresponding values of the self-exchange parameters D(ii) and D(jj) using a generalization of the interpolation formula developed earlier (Skoulidas et al., Langmuir, 2003, 19, 7977). We also demonstrate that if the occupancy dependence of the pure component parameters D(i) and D(ii) are modeled properly, this information is sufficient to provide very good estimates of the matrix [Delta] for mixtures with 2, 3, or 4 components over the entire range of loadings. Simulations of mixture diffusion of alkanes in MFI and LTA confirm that the above-mentioned advantages of the M-S formulation also hold for these zeolite topologies.     

Influence of pore dimension and sorption configuration on the heat of sorption of hexane on monodimensional siliceous zeolites

Sorption of n-hexane on monodimensional pure silica SSZ-35, CIT-5, ZSM-12, and ZSM-22 zeolites with different pore dimension and on recently synthesized ITQ-29 was studied by IR spectroscopic and computational chemistry methods. Heats of sorption of n-hexane on these zeolites was determined experimentally from the temperature dependence of the intensity of IR bands of sorbed hexane as well as from theoretical calculations. Calculations have shown the different orientations of sorbed hexane molecules inside zeolite channels, which depend on the type of zeolite and loading. At high loadings, ordering of hexane inside the channels is observed due to optimization of sorbate-sorbate and sorbate-zeolite interaction energies. Such ordering is responsible for the increase of the sorption energy. A decrease of the sorption energy upon increasing the pore dimension of zeolite was observed, in agreement with results previously published in the literature. Effects of pore diameter of zeolites and ordering of molecules inside zeolite channels on the sorption energy of hexane are discussed.     

Transport properties of alkanes through ceramic thin zeolite MFI membranes

Polycrystalline randomly oriented defect free zeolite layers on porous α-Al₂O₃ supports are prepared with a thickness of less than 5 μm by in situ crystallisation of silicalite-1. The flux of alkanes is a function of the sorption and intracrystalline diffusion. In mixtures of strongly and weakly adsorbing gases and a high loadings of the strongly adsorbing molecule in the zeolite poze, the flux of the weakly adsorbing molecule is suppressed by the sorption and the mobility of the strongly adsorbing molecule resulting in pore-blocking effects. The separation of these mixtures is mainly based on the sorption and completely different from the permselectivity. At low loadings of the strongly adsorbing molecules the separation is based on the sorption and the diffusion and is the same as the permselectivity. Separation factors for the isomers of butane (n-butane/isobutane) and hexane (hexane/2,2-dimethylbutane) are respectively high (10) and very high (> 2000) at 200°C. These high separation factors are a strong evidence that the membrane shows selectivity by size-exclusion and that transport in pores larger than the zeolite MFI pores (possible defects, etc) can be neglected.     

The Role Played by Ga-Pt Nanoparticles in the Aromatization of Lower Alkanes on ZSM-5 Zeolites

The activity and selectivity of Pt-Ga/ZSM-5 zeolites in the aromatization of ethane was studied. The temperature intervals of the stability of gallium oxides on the surface of zeolites were determined by X-ray diffraction. The formation of GaPt clusters was observed after high-temperature treatment of a mixture of platinum-containing zeolites with gallium oxides. Density functional theory was used to study the state of gallium clusters in zeolites by quantum-chemical methods. The interaction of gallium with the H-form of ZSM-5 zeolites was shown to result in the formation of cationic centers containing reduced single-charged gallium cations. The introduction of platinum stabilized alloyed Ga-Pt particles localized in zeolite channels. These particles increase catalyst activity in the aromatization of lower alkanes.     

Modification of the adsorption and catalytic properties of micro- and mesoporous materials by reactions with organometallic complexes

This review describes the work of two laboratories in the field of the modification of micro- and mesoporous molecular sieves through reactions with organometallic complexes. The modification of zeolites can occur inside the pore channels or on the external surface, depending on the size of the organometallic complex. When the modification occurs on the external surface, it results in a decrease of the pore entrance, which will lead in turn to a modification of the sorption properties of the zeolite, by decreasing the rate of the adsorption (mainly by a kinetic control). Such a material can be also used in catalysis, because the external acid sites, which are responsible for side-reactions, have been removed upon grafting. When small organometallic complexes are used, they can fill the channels and cages of the zeolite and react with internal hydroxyl groups. Due to the high acidity of zeolites, the reaction occurs very easily (for example at ?100 °C on faujasite), in contrast to what is observed on the external surface, therefore leading to high metal loadings. In that case, the modification of the sorption properties will be mainly related to a thermodynamic control. The resulting materials can be useful in catalysis, by combining the activity of the organometallic complex and properties (for example shape-selectivity) of the zeolite. Modification of mesoporous molecular sieves occurs always in the pores and results in altering of the sorption properties of the solid, by changing the interaction type between the sorbent and the sorbate. For example the sorption isotherm of alkanes is changed from type II to type III according to the IUPAC nomenclature.     

Large-scale computational screening of zeolites for ethane/ethene separation

Large-scale computational screening of thirty thousand zeolite structures was conducted to find optimal structures for separation of ethane/ethene mixtures. Efficient grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC) simulations were performed with graphics processing units (GPUs) to obtain pure component adsorption isotherms for both ethane and ethene. We have utilized the ideal adsorbed solution theory (IAST) to obtain the mixture isotherms, which were used to evaluate the performance of each zeolite structure based on its working capacity and selectivity. In our analysis, we have determined that specific arrangements of zeolite framework atoms create sites for the preferential adsorption of ethane over ethene. The majority of optimum separation materials can be identified by utilizing this knowledge and screening structures for the presence of this feature will enable the efficient selection of promising candidate materials for ethane/ethene separation prior to performing molecular simulations.     

An analysis of the equilibrium adsorption of nitrogen,oxygen, and their mixtures on zeolite NaX at temperatures of from −20 to +30°C

The equilibrium adsorption of oxygen, nitrogen, and their mixtures on zeolite NaX at temperatures of from ?20 to +30°C was analyzed by statistical thermodynamics methods on the basis of the data published by Gorbunov et al. [1]. The regularization method was used to calculate the dependence of the internal energy and entropy of pure gases in zeolite cavities on the number of molecules per cavity. This substantially increased the reliability of the functions found. The heat of sorption as a function of the degree of filling and gas mixture composition was analyzed using the dependences obtained and a new algorithm developed for binary adsorption calculations. The trends revealed can be used to model air separation by pressure swing adsorption.     

Selective removal of polyethylene or polypropylene from their blends based on difference in their adsorption behaviour

The adsorption of polyethylene and polypropylene on zeolites depends on the nature of zeolite, the solvent as well as the molar mass of the polymer sample. For example, linear polyethylene is strongly retained on zeolite SH-300 from decalin, while isotactic, syndiotactic or atactic polypropylene is fully eluted in this system. On the other hand, polypropylene is retained on zeolite CBV-780 from diphenylether, while linear polyethylene is eluted. These differences in the elution behaviour have been utilised for selective removal of either linear polyethylene or polypropylene from blends of both polymers. The desorption of the retained polymer is difficult, or at times impossible. However, the selected adsorption systems have complimentary character, i.e. either one or second component is eluted or fully retained. Thus these sorbent/solvent systems, identified herein, are the first isocratic chromatographic systems, which enable selectively to remove polyethylene or polypropylene from their mixture. Moreover, decalin/SH-300 enables the removal of both linear and branched polyethylene from mixtures with random ethylene/propylene copolymers (polyethylene fully retained, ethylene/propylene copolymers eluted).     

C2-C2直链烯烃在HY 和H-ZSM-5分子筛上的吸附

采用ONIOM(B3LYP/6-311++G(d,p):UFF)分层计算方法, 研究了C₂-C₅直链烯烃在HY 和H-ZSM-5 分 子筛上的吸附性质. 理论计算结果表明: 烯烃与分子筛的Br?nsted 酸性位相互作用形成π配位超分子复合物; 随着碳链的增长, 烯烃的吸附能增加, 增加量近似为一个常数(HY 分子筛: 约12 kJ·mol^-1; H-ZSM-5 分子筛: 约 25 kJ·mol^-1), 与烷烃在分子筛上的吸附具有相同的规律. 双键位置对烯烃的吸附能影响很大, 2位烯烃的吸附能 要远大于1 位烯烃的吸附能. 不同类型分子筛对烯烃的吸附性能也有很大差别, 由于局域效应的影响, 小孔径 H-ZSM-5分子筛上的吸附能大于大孔径的HY分子筛,而且碳链越长,这种差别越大.从微观结构上看,吸附的烯 烃与H-ZSM-5分子筛酸性位的距离要远大于它们与HY分子筛酸性位的距离, 这是由于不同类型分子筛的微孔 结构产生的范德华作用是不同的,这种作用随着孔径的减小而增强.前线轨道分析表明, 对于小分子烯烃,大孔径 HY分子筛对其催化活性相近,而小孔径H-ZSM-5分子筛随着烯烃碳原子数的增加催化活性有减弱的趋势.     

Large distinct diffusivity in binary mixtures confined to zeolite Nay

Mutual diffusion coefficients have been computed from molecular dynamics simulation of two different binary mixtures confined to zeolite NaY. In one of these mixtures, where one component is from the linear regime and the other from the anomalous regime of the levitation effect [S. Yashonath, P. Santikary, J. Phys. Chem., 1994, 98, 6368], the magnitude of distinct diffusivity, Dd, is unusually large and comparable to the mixture self-diffusivity Ds. Distinct van Hove correlations suggest that the large Dd seems to arise from the presence of distinct physisorption sites for the two components. The contribution from Dd might be important for achieving good separation of mixtures, for which zeolites are used extensively.     

短链烷烃二元混合物在分子筛上吸附分离的分子模拟

用巨正则是系综Monte Carlo(GCMC)与构型偏倚(CBMC)相结合的方法模拟了 MFI分子筛对甲烷-丙烷、乙烷-丙烷体系(300K，345kPa)的吸附平衡，模拟结果与 文献实验结果相吻合，分别模拟了FER，ISV，MEL，MFI，MOR，TON等六种分子筛对 甲烷－丙烷、乙烷－丙烷体系（300K，345kPa）的吸附，得出甲烷－丙烷体系中分 子筛对较长链烷烃的选择性大小顺序（气相乙烷摩尔分数为0.5时）为ISV＞MEI＞ MEL＞FER＞TON＞MOR,对乙烷－丙烷体系选择性大小顺序（气相乙烷摩尔分数为0. 5时）为ISV＞MOR＞MFI＞FER＞MEL＞TON. MOR型分子筛对两个不同体系的吸附行为 表现出明显的不同，两个体中ISV的吸附量均最大，MFI，MEL，FER次之，此三种分 子筛具有相拟的吸附量，MOR和TON型分子筛吸附量较低。     

沸石的孔口改性与气体吸附分离

沸石由干具有独特的微孔结构和表面性质，对物质的吸附表现出高度的选择性，已被广泛用于许多工业吸附分离过程．在气体分离方面，最常见的是利用沸石制造纯净的稀有气体和富氧空气．Niwa等［‘－‘］和本实验室［‘’］已成功地采用出（OCH小化学气相沉积方法对HM和Hi8M七沸石进行孔径精细调变，改善了沸石的择形吸附分离和催化性能．本文试图进一步研究沸石孔口改性在气体吸附分离方面的应用潜力．我们选择的H元气体混合物体系是NZ／OZ和CH。川。，因为O。，NZ和CH。三种分子的动力学直径分别为0．346O．364和0．380urn，相差甚…     

Surface tensions of linear and branched alkanes from Monte Carlo simulations using the anisotropic united atom model

The anisotropic united atoms (AUA4) model has been used for linear and branched alkanes to predict the surface tension as a function of temperature by Monte Carlo simulations. Simulations are carried out for n-alkanes ( n-C5, n-C6, n-C7, and n-C10) and for two branched C7 isomers (2,3-dimethylpentane and 2,4-dimethylpentane). Different operational expressions of the surface tension using both the thermodynamic and the mechanical definitions have been applied. The simulated surface tensions with the AUA4 model are found to be consistent within both definitions and in good agreement with experiments.