Hierarchical Structure of NiMo Hydrodesulfurization Catalysts Determined by Ptychographic X‐Ray Computed Tomography

Hydrodesulphurization, the removal of sulphur from crude oils, is an essential catalytic process in the petroleum industry safeguarding the production of clean hydrocarbons. Sulphur removal is critical for the functionality of downstream processes and vital to the elimination of environmental pollutants. The effectiveness of such an endeavour is among other factors determined by the structural arrangement of the heterogeneous catalyst. Namely, the accessibility of the catalytically active molybdenum disulphide (MoS₂) slabs located on the surfaces of a porous alumina carrier. Here, we examined a series of pristine sulfided Mo and NiMo hydrodesulphurization catalysts of increasing metal loading prepared on commercial alumina carriers using ptychographic X‐ray computed nanotomography. Structural analysis revealed a build consisting of two interwoven support matrix elements differing in nanoporosity. With increasing metal loading, approaching that of industrial catalysts, these matrix elements exhibit a progressively dissimilar MoS₂ surface coverage as well as MoS₂ cluster formation at the matrix element boundaries. This is suggestive of metal deposition limitations and/ or catalyst activation and following prohibitive of optimal catalytic utilization. These results will allow for diffusivity calculations, a better rationale of current generation catalyst performance as well as a better distribution of the active phase in next‐generation hydrodesulphurization catalysts.     

Ultra Deep Hydrodesulfurization of Gas Oils Over Sulfide and/or Noble Metal Catalysts

Deep hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of sterically hindered sulfur compounds in gas oils will require enhanced hydrogenation activity to hydrogenate the aromatic rings of the sulfur compounds. Although H₂S is known to inhibit the direct HDS route for most of the sulfided catalysts, its promotion to the hydrogenation and subsequent HDS was newly observed for unsupported MoS₂. This promotion suggests that ultra deep HDS over sulfide catalysts can be achieved along with high metal loading, minimal support-metal interactions and optimal dependence on the Ni species. On the other hand, the strong hydrogenation activity of sulfur-tolerant noble metal catalysts suggests that ultra deep HDS as well as deep aromatics saturation can be achieved. This paper discusses recent catalytic approaches for ultra deep HDS using conventional sulfide catalysts and/or noble metal catalysts, such as the newly developed Pd-Pt/Yb-USY zeolite catalyst.     

氧化铝载体对Pt-Sn/Al2O3催化剂上苯胺和苯甲醇一步合成N-苯基苄胺催化反应性能的影响

以基于借氢策略的苯甲醇和苯胺一步合成N-苯基苄胺为模型反应,研究了三种不同表面结构的氧化铝对其负载的Pt-Sn催化剂上N-烷基化合成仲胺反应性能的影响.采用N₂吸附-脱附法、压汞法、X射线衍射、透射电镜、扫描电镜、CO脉冲吸附、H₂-程序升温还原及NH₃-程序升温脱附等技术对载体和Pt-Sn/Al₂O₃催化剂进行了表征.结果表明,与Al₂O₃相互作用较弱且高度分散的Pt颗粒具有很高的催化活性,Al₂O₃载体较大的孔体积和大孔分布的孔结构有助于反应物扩散和吸附到催化剂表面并提高反应活性.同时也有利于反应产物从催化剂表面离开,从而提高催化剂的稳定性.然而Al₂O₃较强的酸性及酸性分布降低了产物仲胺的选择性和催化剂稳定性.     

Effect of cobalt and its adding sequence on the catalytic performance of MoO3/Al2O3 toward sulfur-resistant methanation

The effect of promoter cobalt and the sequences of adding cobalt and molybdenum precursors on the performance of sulfur-resistant methanation were investigated. All these samples were prepared by impregnation method and characterized by N₂-adsorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) and laser Raman spectroscopy (LRS). The conversions of CO for Mo-Co/Al, Co-Mo/Al and CoMo/Al catalysts were 59.7%, 54.3% and 53.9%, respectively. Among these catalysts, the Mo-Co/Al catalyst prepared stepwisely by impregnating Mo precursor firstly showed the best catalytic performance. Meanwhile, the conversions of CO were 48.9% for Mo/Al catalyst and 10.5% for Co/Al catalyst. The addition of cobalt species could improve the catalytic activity of Mo/Al catalyst. The N₂-adsorption results showed that Co-Mo/Al catalyst had the smallest specific surface area among these catalysts. CoMoO₄ species in CoMo/Al catalyst were detected with XRD, TPR and LRS. Moreover, crystal MoS₂ which was reported to be less active than amorphous MoS₂ was found in both Co-Mo/Al and CoMo/Al catalysts. Mo-Co/Al catalyst showed the best catalytic performance as it had an appropriate surface structure, i.e., no crystal MoS₂ and very little CoMoO₄ species.     

Structure and Thiophene Hydrodesulfurization Activity of MoS2/Al2O3 Catalysts

It was found that, in MoS₂/Al₂O₃ catalysts prepared by exfoliation, the structure of MoS₂ is strongly distorted. The catalytic activities of these catalysts and traditionally prepared catalysts toward the hydrodesulfurization of thiophene were compared. It was established that the stacking dimension of MoS₂ in the catalysts prepared by exfoliation was 200 Å, whereas it was 20 Å in a standard catalyst. It was demonstrated that, although the number of molybdenum atoms in the edge plane per gram of MoS₂ in the catalysts prepared by exfoliation was 10 times smaller than that in the standard catalyst, the activity of these catalysts was close to the activity of the standard catalyst. On this basis, it was suggested that the hydrodesulfurization of thiophene can occur on the basal plane of MoS₂ that has a defect-free structure with a distorted environment of molybdenum.     

Al_(2)O_(3)-Zn-K催化水解COS和CS_(2)的研究北大核心CSCD

以活性氧化铝为载体,浸渍负载Zn、K活性组分,制备优选Al_(2)O_(3)-Zn-K催化剂.考察了反应工艺条件对COS、CS_(2)脱除精度的影响,并对失活的催化剂进行表征,分析催化剂的失活原因.结果表明,负载Zn、K活性组分后,催化剂的弱碱性中心显著提高,负载量为4%时催化剂具有最优的水解活性.在180℃催化水解过程中,工艺条件对CS_(2)脱除精度的影响较COS更为明显.无氧条件下,反应过程中生成的硫酸盐和表面活性物质发生迁移导致催化剂碱性中心减少是催化剂失活的主要原因.     

Effect of CO2/CO Addition in Dehydroaromatization of Methane on Zeolite-Supported Mo and Re Catalysts Towards Hydrogen, Benzene and Naphthalene

High activity and high formation selectivity for aromatics in the dehydrocondensation reaction of methane were realized only on selected catalysts. The requisites of a metal and a zeolite support as the selected catalyst were described. However, the catalytic activity steadily declined even on the selected catalysts with time on stream because of coke accumulation. A stable catalytic activity was obtained when CO₂ or CO was added into methane feed due to effective removal of coke from the catalyst surface by CO or CO₂. The route from methane to aromatics and the formation process of active phase of catalyst were discussed.     

Embedding Amorphous Molybdenum Sulfide within a Porous Poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) Matrix to Enhance its H2‐evolving Catalytic Activity and Robustness

Amorphous molybdenum sulfide (MoS_x) is a promising alternative to Pt catalyst for the H₂ evolution in water. However, it is suffered of an electrochemical corrosion. In this report, we present a strategy to tack this issue by embedding the MoS_x catalyst within a porous poly(3,4‐ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT) matrix. The PEDOT host is firstly grown onto a fluorine‐doped tin oxide (FTO) electrode by electrochemical polymerization of EDOT monomer in an acetonitrile solution to perform a porous structure. The MoS_x catalyst is subsequently deposited onto the PEDOT by an electrochemical oxidation of [MoS₄]^2? monomer. In a 0.5 M H₂SO₄ electrolyte solution, the MoS_x/PEDOT shows higher H₂‐evolving catalytic activities (current density of 34.2 mA/cm² at ?0.4 V vs RHE) in comparison to a pristine MoS_x grown on a planar FTO electrode having similar catalyst loading (24.2 mA/cm²). The PEDOT matrix contributes to enhance the stability of MoS_x catalyst by a significant manner. As such, the MoS_x/PEDOT retains 81 % of its best catalytic activity after 1000 potential scans from 0 to ?0.4 V vs. RHE, whereas a planar MoS_x catalyst is completely degraded after about 240 potential scans, due to its complete corrosion.     

Effect of CO2/CO Addition in Dehydroaromatization of Methane on Zeolite-Supported Mo and Re Catalysts Towards Hydrogen, Benzene and Naphthalene

High activity and high formation selectivity for aromatics in the dehydrocondensation reaction of methane were realized only on selected catalysts. The requisites of a metal and a zeolite support as the selected catalyst were described. However, the catalytic activity steadily declined even on the selected catalysts with time on stream because of coke accumulation. A stable catalytic activity was obtained when CO₂ or CO was added into methane feed due to effective removal of coke from the catalyst surface by CO or CO₂. The route from methane to aromatics and the formation process of active phase of catalyst were discussed.     

Sustainable activation of peroxymonosulfate by the Mo(IV) in MoS2 for the remediation of aromatic organic pollutants

Although MoS₂ has been proved to be a very ideal cocatalyst in advanced oxidation process (AOPs), the activation process of peroxymonosulfate (PMS) is still inseparable from metal ions which inevitably brings the risk of secondary pollution and it is not conducive to large-scale industrial application. In this study, the commercial MoS₂, as a durable and efficient catalyst, was used for directly activating PMS to degrade aromatic organic pollutant. The commercial MoS₂/PMS catalytic system demonstrated excellent removal efficiency of phenol and the total organic carbon (TOC) residual rate reach to 25%. The degradation rate was significantly reduced if the used MoS₂ was directly carried out the next cycle experiment without any post-treatment. Interestingly, the commercial MoS₂ after post-treated with H₂O₂ can exhibit good stability and recyclability for cyclic degradation of phenol. Furthermore, the mechanism for the activation of PMS had been investigated by density functional theory (DFT) calculation. The renewable Mo⁴⁺ exposed on the surface of MoS₂ was deduced as the primary active site, which realized the direct activation of PMS and avoided secondary pollution. Taking into account the reaction cost and efficient activity, the development of commercial MoS₂ catalytic system is expected to be applied in industrial wastewater.     

Rod-shaped porous alumina-supported Cr2O3 catalyst with low acidity for propane dehydrogenation

Direct catalytic propane dehydrogenation (PDH) to obtain propylene is a more economical and environmentally friendly route for propylene production. In particular, alumina-supported Cr₂O₃ catalysts can have better potential applications if the acidic properties could be tuned. Herein, a series of rod-shaped porous alumina were prepared through a hydrothermal route, followed by calcination. It was found that the acidity of the synthesized alumina was generally lower than that of the commercial alumina and could be adjusted well by varying the calcination temperature. Such alumina materials were used as supports for active Cr₂O₃, and the obtained catalysts could enhance the resistance to coke formation associated with similar activity in PDH reaction compared to the commercial alumina. The amount of coke deposited on a self-made catalyst (Cr-Al-800) was 3.6%, which was much lower than that deposited on the reference catalyst (15.7%). The lower acidity of the catalyst inhibited the side reactions and coke formation during the PDH process, which was beneficial for its high activity and superior anti-coking properties.     

NiMo催化剂载体中纳米HY分子筛和氧化铝混合方式对柴油加氢脱硫性能的影响

以纳米HY分子筛-氧化铝混合物为载体,根据两者混合方式的不同（溶胶凝胶法和机械混合法）制备了两种NiMo加氢脱硫催化剂,并对其进行了XRD、BET、TPD、H₂-TPR、HRTEM和FT-IR等表征。与溶胶凝胶法催化剂相比,机械混合法催化剂表现出了较好的纹理结构和更高酸量,其金属相更易还原,边角位Mo原子的分散度更高,表现出了更高的加氢脱硫性能。但溶胶凝胶法催化剂的type-Ⅱ Ni-Mo-S活性相前驱物比例更高,MoS₂晶片长度更大,堆垛程度更高,活性组分分散度较差。虽然溶胶凝胶法有利于提高type-Ⅱ Ni-Mo-S活性相前驱物比例,但是该方法导致的较差孔结构抑制了这种优势,并且降低了活性组分分散度,减弱了催化活性。     

Ultra‐deep desulfurization of a model fuel using novel VOHPO4 0.5H2O/boehmite catalysts

A high‐surface‐area boehmite was used as the support for a series of vanadium phosphate catalysts. The catalysts were prepared by heating of V₂O₅ in an isobutyl alcohol and benzyl alcohol mixture at 140°C for 5 h to reduce V⁵⁺ to more active V⁴⁺ in the presence of phosphoric acid. Then a series of catalysts with various VPO loadings on boehmite were synthesized. The catalysts were characterized using various techniques. The catalysts were utilized for extraction combined with catalytic oxidation of dibenzothiophene. The important factors influencing the desulfurization process, including reaction time, temperature, H₂O₂, catalyst loading, catalyst amount and solvents, were systematically investigated. Under the optimized reaction conditions, i.e. 30 mg of catalyst loading at 50°C and in 60 min, sulfur removal reached 94%. The catalyst was recycled and reused five times.     

Defect Engineering of MoS2 and Its Impacts on Electrocatalytic and Photocatalytic Behavior in Hydrogen Evolution Reactions

Molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂) has been regarded as a favorable photocatalytic co‐catalyst and efficient hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) electrocatalyst alternative to expensive noble‐metals catalysts, owing to earth‐abundance, proper band gap, high surface area, and fast electron transfer ability. In order to achieve a higher catalytic efficiency, defects strategies such as phase engineering and vacancy introduction are considered as promising methods for natural 2H‐MoS₂ to increase its active sites and promote electron transfer rate. In this study, we report a new two‐step defect engineering process to generate vacancies‐rich hybrid‐phase MoS₂ and to introduce Ru particles at the same time, which includes hydrothermal reaction and a subsequent hydrogen reduction. Compositional and structural properties of the synthesized defects‐rich MoS₂ are investigated by XRD, XPS, XAFS and Raman measurements, and the electrochemical hydrogen evolution reaction performance, as well as photocatalytic hydrogen evolution performance in the ammonia borane dehydrogenation are evaluated. Both catalytic activities are boosted with the increase of defects concentrations in MoS₂, which ascertains that the defects engineering is a promising route to promote catalytic performance of MoS₂.     

Alkaline‐Earth Metal Doped K‐V Catalysts for Diesel Soot Combustion–Preparation,Characterization and Catalytic Properties

The K‐V‐alkaline‐earth metal catalysts supported on α‐alumina ceramic substrate have been prepared. The morphology of the soot particulates deposited on prepared catalysts supported on α‐alumina ceramic substrate was described by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The XRD was used to characterize the catalysts and their catalytic activities were evaluated by soot oxidation reaction using the TPR system. The SEM photographs presented that soot particles have a particle size of about 100 nm in diameter forming a loose contact with catalyst, which is resemble to the real situation for the catalyst application. The XRD and TPR study showed that the catalytic activities of the catalysts were improved through the cooperation of KNO₃ and some alkaline earth metal compounds. The soot onset ignition temperature at 310°C is the lowest by the cooperation of the crystalline phases KNO₃, KCaVO₄, and Ca₃(VO₄)₂ for the K‐V‐Ca catalyst with a molar ratio of 6:1:1. In addition, the catalyst containing higher KNO₃ content has an adsorption for CO₂. The all prepared K‐V‐Ba catalysts can adsorb more CO₂ at room temperature.     

Unsupported Molybdenum and Cobalt-Molybdenum Nitrides for Thiophene Hydrodesulfurization

The catalytic activity and the structure of unsupported Mo and CoMo nitrided catalysts were investigated. It was found that the structure and catalytic activity of the nitrided catalysts are influenced by the conditions of nitridation. Molybdenum oxynitrides are more active in hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of thiophene than MoS₂. The addition of cobalt to nitrided Mo improves its HDS activity, however, sulfided CoMo catalyst is still more active than the nitrided one. Synergy between Co and Mo for the nitrided unsupported CoMo catalyst exists at lower degree than for the sulfided form of CoMo.     

乙醇辅助的化学沉积法制备硫化型Mo/γ-Al2O3加氢脱硫催化剂

以硫代乙酰胺为硫源,钼酸钠为钼源,乙醇为分散剂,采用化学沉积法制备了MoS₃/Al₂O₃催化剂前驱体,再用H₂高温处理得到高分散硫化型MoS₂/γ-Al₂O₃催化剂,运用N₂吸附-脱附、X射线光电子能谱以及高分辨透射电子显微镜等技术对MoS₂/γ-Al₂O₃催化剂进行了表征,并以二苯并噻吩作为模型化合物评价了催化剂的加氢脱硫(HDS)活性.结果表明,与浸渍法相比,所制催化剂具有更大的比表面积和孔体积、更高的活性金属分散度、更佳的Mo物种硫化度以及更短的MoS₂片层长度和更高的堆积度,因而在二苯并噻吩HDS反应中表现出远优于浸渍法所制催化剂的活性.乙醇可通过S?H-O氢键吸附至MoS₃纳米粒子表面,可有效防止其生长和团聚,起到分散剂的作用.     

High Electrocatalytic Activity of Pt–Pd Binary Spherocrystals Chemically Assembled in Vertically Aligned TiO2 Nanotubes

To obtain noble metal catalysts with high efficiency, long‐term stability, and poison resistance, Pt and Pd are assembled in highly ordered and vertically aligned TiO₂ nanotubes (NTs) by means of the pulsed‐current deposition (PCD) method with assistance of ultrasonication (UC). Here, Pd serves as a dispersant which prevents agglomeration of Pt. Thus Pt–Pd binary catalysts are embed into TiO₂ NTs array under UC in sunken patterns of composite spherocrystals (Sps). Owing to this synthesis method and restriction by the NTs, the these catalysts show improved dispersion, more catalytically active sites, and higher surface area. This nanotubular metallic support material with good physical and chemical stability prevents catalyst loss and poisoning. Compared with monometallic Pt and Pd, the sunken‐structured Pt–Pd spherocrystal catalyst exhibits better catalytic activity and poison resistance in electrocatalytic methanol oxidation because of its excellent dispersion. The catalytic current density is enhanced by about 15 and 310 times relative to monometallic Pt and Pd, respectively. The poison resistance of the Pt–Pd catalyst was 1.5 times higher than that of Pt and Pd, and they show high electrochemical stability with a stable current enduring for more than 2100 s. Thus, the TiO₂ NTs on a Ti substrate serve as an excellent support material for the loading and dispersion of noble metal catalysts.     

CoOx@Co-NC Catalyst with Dual Active Centers for Enhanced Oxygen Evolution: Breaking Trade-Off of Particle Size and Metal Loading

Increasing the metal loading and downsizing the metal particle size are two effective ways to boost the electrochemical performance of catalysts. However, it is difficult to simultaneously increase the metal loading and reduce the particle size since isolated individual atoms are easy to aggregate into nanoparticles when increasing the metal loading. To tackle this contradiction, we report a bottom-up ligand-mediated strategy to facilely prepare ultrafine CoO_x nanoclusters anchored on a Co-N-containing carbon matrix (CoO_x@Co-NC). The co-exist of N and O atoms prevent Co atoms agglomerating into large particles and allowing the formation of ultrafine dispersed Co species with large Co loading (up to 20 wt.%). Since the relationship between ultrasmall size and large metal loading is well balanced, the CoO_x nanoclusters have no inhibitory effect, but facilitate the catalytic performance of Co-N₄ sites during OER process. Consequently, due to the synergistic effect of ultrafine CoO_x nanoclusters and Co-N₄ macrocycles, the as-synthesized CoO_x@Co-NC exhibit promising OER activity (η₁₀=370 mV, Tafel plot=40 mV/dec), bettering than that of benchmark RuO₂ (η₁₀=411 mV, Tafel plot=72 mV/dec). This ligand-mediated strategy to synthesize carbonaceous materials containing dual active centers with large metal loading is promising for developing active and stable catalysts for electrocatalytic applications.     

On the influence of the alumina precursor in Fe-K/Al2O3 structured catalysts for the simultaneous removal of soot and NOx: From surface properties to reaction mechanism

Cordierite-monolith supported Fe-K/Al₂O₃ catalysts were prepared using different alumina precursors. The catalysts were physico-chemically characterized, and their activity in the simultaneous removal of soot (carbon black) and NO_x was assayed with the aim of studying the influence of the particular features of each alumina precursor on the final properties of the different prepared catalyst. Structural and textural characteristics of the catalytic layer were found to be strongly dependent on the type of alumina used, which, in turn, determined the mobility of the alkali compound. This fact together with the weaker interaction of the catalytic phase with the alumina resulted in easier K diffusion and loss in some cases, whereas, on the other hand, a stronger interaction and favorable textural features of the layer resulted in notably enhanced catalytic activity.