Characterization of acidity in [B], [Al], and [Ga] isomorphously substituted ZSM‐5: Embedded DFT/UFF approach

The structure and electronic properties of the Brønsted acid site in B, Al or Ga isomorphously substituted ZSM‐5 zeolites were studied by using quantum cluster and embedded ONIOM approaches. In the former approach, zeolites are modeled by 5T and 12T quantum clusters, where T represents a Si or Al atom. In the latter model, called “Embedded ONIOM”, the long‐range interactions of the zeolite lattice beyond the 12T quantum cluster is included via optimized point charges added to the ONIOM(B3LYP/6‐31G(d,p):UFF). Inclusion of the extended zeolitic framework covering the nanocavity has an effect on the structure and adsorption properties. We found that the OH distances and v OH of the acidic proton in zeolite obtained from both models can predict the trend of acid strength as: B‐ZSM‐5 < Ga‐ZSM‐5 < Al‐ZSM‐5, which is in very good agreement with the experimental sequence. Furthermore, the PA data calculated from E‐ONIOM is also consistent with the experimental trend: B‐ZSM‐5 < Ga‐ZSM‐5 < Al‐ZSM‐5. It has, therefore, been demonstrated that our embedded ONIOM model provides accurate performance and can be one of the useful and affordable methods for future mechanistic studies involving petrochemical reactions. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2011     

A theoretical study of <Emphasis Type="Italic">cis</Emphasis>–<Emphasis Type="Italic">trans</Emphasis> isomerisation in H-ZSM5: probing the impact of cluster size and zeolite framework on energetics and structure

In this study the results from a series of calculations are reported that probe the influence of the QM cluster size and the extended framework treatment in ONIOM calculations. This is done by comparing the differences in the structures and energetics obtained during simulations of cis–trans isomerisation of butene in H-ZSM-5 at varying level of accuracy. Seven different models have been employed; 3T, 5T and 10T DFT cluster models, and to more effectively encode the extended framework of ZSM-5; 3T:46T, 5T:46T, 10T:46T DFT:MM ONIOM models, and a 46T DFT cluster model. The results show that irrespective of the exact QM cluster size, relatively small gasphase clusters show clear limitations due to the neglect of the extended framework. In particular, the structural and electronic implications of using the different zeolite models have been rigorously assessed using the multivariate statistical method principal components analysis (PCA). Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

特殊形貌类雪花状ZSM-5分子筛的合成、表征及甲醇制烯烃催化性能(英文)

美国Mobil公司于1972年首先开发的ZSM-5分子筛是一种高硅三维交叉孔道的沸石分子筛,其孔道结构具有良好的择形作用,因此被广泛应用于芳构化、异构化、烷基化和催化裂化等工业催化过程.ZSM-5分子筛的催化性能与其晶粒尺寸、酸性及形貌等密切相关.改变合成方法和制备参数可以合成出不同形貌的ZSM-5分子筛,但目前关于ZSM-5分子筛形貌对其物理化学性质和催化性能的影响报道较少.本文通过改变模板剂类型,采用水热合成法,制备出了类雪花状、椭圆柱状和夹心糖状三种不同形貌的ZSM-5分子筛.通过X射线荧光光谱(XRF)、N_2物理吸脱附(BET)、扫描电镜(SEM)、X射线衍射(XRD)、固体核磁共振(MAS NMR)、NH_3程序升温脱附(NH_3-TPD)及吸附吡啶的红外光谱(Py-IR)等手段对不同形貌分子筛的物理化学性质、形貌、晶体骨架结构和酸性进行了表征.采用浸渍法制备了Ca/HZSM-5催化剂,以甲醇制烯烃(MTO)为探针反应、着重研究了ZSM-5分子筛形貌和晶体结构特性对其酸性和催化性能的影响.合成的三种不同形貌的ZSM-5分子筛具有相近的SiO_2/Al_2O_3比和比表面积.XRD结果表明,通过改变模板剂类型,可制得结晶度较好的ZSM-5分子筛,其中类雪花状分子筛的(101)晶面比例明显多于其它两种分子筛,而椭圆柱状分子筛则暴露更多的(020)晶面.~(27)Al MAS NMR结果表明,绝大部分Al都以四配位形式存在于三种分子筛骨架中,而类雪花状分子筛的峰强度较低,这是由于Al的配位环境不同(偶极作用弱),说明在类雪花状分子筛的交叉晶面中存在大量扭曲、错位和不对称结构;与其它两种分子筛相比,类雪花状分子筛的~(29)Si MAS NMR谱峰宽化、进一步证明该分子筛骨架结构中存在扭曲、错位和不对称性.NH_3-TPD结果表明,类雪花状HZSM-5分子筛的酸量明显高于其它两种分子筛,在SiO_2/Al_2O_3比相近的情况下、类雪花状HZSM-5分子筛晶体骨架结构的错位、扭曲和不对称性造成了该分子筛中酸量增加;但Py-IR结果表明,类雪花状HZSM-5分子筛的酸量低于其它两种分子筛,这与NH_3-TPD结果有差异,主要是由于类雪花状分子筛几何空间结构和晶界处的扭曲、错位对孔道结构的影响,不利于比NH_3分子大的吡啶分子的扩散,进而影响了吡啶分子在酸性位上的吸附.三种不同形貌的ZSM-5分子筛经Ca改性后比表面积和微孔比表面积均明显下降,其中类雪花状和椭圆柱状催化剂的微孔比表面积下降幅度较大,外比表面积下降幅度较小.这是因为各分子筛的晶体结构和晶面的取向差异,导致Ca离子在分子筛上的扩散行为不同.同时,经Ca改性后,三个催化剂的总酸量均有下降,尤其是类雪花状分子筛酸量下降较为明显,表明其中Ca离子更容易扩散到分子筛孔道内,与更多的酸性位作用,而夹心糖状分子筛表面具有更多的Z字形孔道,不利于Ca离子扩散到分子筛孔道内,因而酸量下降较少.Py-IR结果表明,Ca改性后催化剂的总酸量下降,尤其是B酸明显降低,L酸略有增加,其中类雪花状ZSM-5分子筛催化剂的B酸量最低.甲醇制烯烃反应评价结果表明,随着反应温度升高,三个催化剂的总烯选择性和丙烯选择性均呈先升高后降低的趋势.类雪花状ZSM-5分子筛催化剂在甲醇转化率相近时具有最高的烯烃选择性,在反应温度为460℃时,总烯烃选择性为72%,丙烯选择性达39%.     

Theoretical study of the adsorption of ethylene on alkali‐exchanged zeolites

The structures of alkali‐exchanged faujasite (X–FAU, X = Li⁺ or Na⁺ ion) and ZSM‐5 (Li–ZSM‐5) zeolites and their interactions with ethylene have been investigated by means of quantum cluster and embedded cluster approaches at the B3LYP/6‐31G(d, p) level of theory. Inclusion of the Madelung potential from the zeolite framework has a significant effect on the structure and interaction energies of the adsorption complexes and leads to differentiation of different types of zeolites (ZSM‐5 and FAU) that cannot be drawn from a typical quantum cluster model, H₃SiO(X)Al(OH)₂OSiH₃. The Li–ZSM‐5 zeolite is predicted to have a higher Lewis acidity and thus higher ethylene adsorption energy than the Li–FAU zeolites (16.4 vs. 14.4 kcal/mol), in good agreement with the known acidity trend of these two zeolites. On the other hand, the cluster models give virtually the same adsorption energies for both zeolite complexes (8.9 vs. 9.1 kcal/mol). For the larger cation‐exchanged Na–FAU complex, the adsorption energy (11.6 kcal/mol) is predicted to be lower than that of Li–FAU zeolites, which compares well with the experimental estimate of about 9.6 kcal/mol for ethylene adsorption on a less acidic Na–X zeolite. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem 94: 333–340, 2003     

Study of the grafting reaction of SnMe4 on the surface of ZSM‐5 zeolite

The grafting reaction of tetramethyltin on the surface of ZSM‐5 zeolite (Si:Al = 55.0) was studied under vacuum conditions, and the chemical compositions, structure and properties of the resulting solid were characterized by in situ FTIR, ICP, XRD, XPS, UV–vis DRS, temperature programmed decomposition (TPD) and N₂ adsorption. The results show that the reaction occurs on the surface of ZSM‐5 zeolite at 223 K without destroying the zeolite framework. The BET surface area and the pore volume of the zeolite decrease and the surface properties change; however, the microporous structure is retained during the reaction and post treatment. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A Simple Route to Synthesize Mesoporous ZSM‐5 Templated by Ammonium‐Modified Chitosan

Uniform mesoporous zeolite ZSM‐5 crystals have been successfully fabricated through a simple hydrothermal synthetic method by utilizing ammonium‐modified chitosan and tetrapropylammonium hydroxide (TPAOH) as the meso‐ and microscale template, respectively. It was revealed that mesopores with diameters of 5–20 nm coexisted with microporous network within mesoporous ZSM‐5 crystals. Ammonium‐modified chitosan was demonstrated to serve as a mesoporogen, self‐assembling with the zeolite precursor through strong static interactions. As expected, the prepared mesoporous ZSM‐5 exhibited greatly enhanced catalytic activities compared with conventional ZSM‐5 and Al‐MCM‐41 in reactions involving bulky molecules, such as the Claisen–Schmidt condensation of 2‐hydroxyacetophenone with benzaldehyde and the esterification reaction of dodecanoic acid and 2‐ethylhexanol.     

Comparison of Cu‐ZSM‐5 Zeolites and Cu‐MOF‐505 Metal‐Organic Frameworks as Heterogeneous Catalysts for the Mukaiyama Aldol Reaction: A DFT Mechanistic Study

The density functional theory (DFT) model ONIOM(M06L/6‐311++G(2df,2p):UFF was employed to reveal the catalytic activity of Cu^II in the paddle‐wheel unit of the metal‐organic framework (MOF)‐505 material in the Mukaiyama aldol reaction compared with the activity of Cu‐ZSM‐5 zeolites. The aldol reaction between a silyl enol ether and formaldehyde catalyzed by the Lewis acidic site of both materials takes place through a concerted pathway, in which the formation of the C? C bond and the transfer of the silyl group occurs in a single step. MOF‐505 and Cu‐ZSM‐5 are predicted to be efficient catalysts for this reaction as they strongly activate the formaldehyde carbonyl carbon electrophile, which leads to a considerably lower reaction barrier compared with the gas‐phase system. Both MOF‐505 and Cu‐ZSM‐5 catalysts stabilize the reacting species along the reaction coordinate, thereby lowering the activation energy, compared to the gas‐phase system. The activation barriers for the MOF‐505, Cu‐ZSM‐5, and gas‐phase system are 48, 21, and 61 kJ mol^?1, respectively. Our results show the importance of the enveloping framework by stabilizing the reacting species and promoting the reaction.     

Enthalpy and Entropy Barriers Explain the Effects of Topology on the Kinetics of Zeolite‐Catalyzed Reactions

The methylation of ethene, propene, and trans‐2‐butene on zeolites H‐ZSM‐58 (DDR), H‐ZSM‐22 (TON), and H‐ZSM‐5 (MFI) is studied to elucidate the particular influence of topology on the kinetics of zeolite‐catalyzed reactions. H‐ZSM‐58 and H‐ZSM‐22 are found to display overall lower methylation rates compared to H‐ZSM‐5 and also different trends in methylation rates with increasing alkene size. These variations may be rationalized based on a decomposition of the free‐energy barriers into enthalpic and entropic contributions, which reveals that the lower methylation rates on H‐ZSM‐58 and H‐ZSM‐22 have virtually opposite reasons. On H‐ZSM‐58, the lower methylation rates are caused by higher enthalpy barriers, owing to inefficient stabilization of the reaction intermediates in the large cage‐like pores. On the other hand, on H‐ZSM‐22, the methylation rates mostly suffer from higher entropy barriers, because excessive entropy losses are incurred inside the narrow‐channel structure. These results show that the kinetics of crucial elementary steps hinge on the balance between proper stabilization of the reaction intermediates inside the zeolite pores and the resulting entropy losses. These fundamental insights into their inner workings are indispensable for ultimately selecting or designing better zeolite catalysts.     

Dispersion and Orientation of Zeolite ZSM‐5 Crystallites within a Fluid Catalytic Cracking Catalyst Particle

Confocal fluorescence microscopy was employed to selectively visualize the dispersion and orientation of zeolite ZSM‐5 domains inside a single industrially applied fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalyst particle. Large ZSM‐5 crystals served as a model system together with the acid‐catalyzed fluorostyrene oligomerization reaction to study the interaction of plane‐polarized light with these anisotropic zeolite crystals. The distinction between zeolite and binder material, such as alumina, silica, and clay, within an individual FCC particle was achieved by utilizing the anisotropic nature of emitted fluorescence light arising from the entrapped fluorostyrene‐derived carbocations inside the zeolite channels. This characterization approach provides a non‐invasive way for post‐synthesis characterization of an individual FCC catalyst particle in which the size, distribution, orientation, and amount of zeolite ZSM‐5 aggregates can be determined. It was found that the amount of detected fluorescence light originating from the stained ZSM‐5 aggregates corresponds to about 15 wt %. Furthermore, a statistical analysis of the emitted fluorescence light indicated that a large number of the ZSM‐5 domains appeared in small sizes of about 0.015–0.25 μm², representing single zeolite crystallites or small aggregates thereof. This observation illustrated a fairly high degree of zeolite dispersion within the FCC binder material. However, the highest amount of crystalline material was aggregated into larger domains (ca. 1–5 μm²) with more or less similarly oriented zeolite crystallites. It is clear that this visualization approach may serve as a post‐synthesis quality control on the dispersion of zeolite ZSM‐5 crystallites within FCC particles.     

Confined Carbon Mediating Dehydroaromatization of Methane over Mo/ZSM‐5

Non‐oxidative dehydroaromatization of methane (MDA) is a promising catalytic process for direct valorization of natural gas to liquid hydrocarbons. The application of this reaction in practical technology is hindered by a lack of understanding about the mechanism and nature of the active sites in benchmark zeolite‐based Mo/ZSM‐5 catalysts, which precludes the solution of problems such as rapid catalyst deactivation. By applying spectroscopy and microscopy, it is shown that the active centers in Mo/ZSM‐5 are partially reduced single‐atom Mo sites stabilized by the zeolite framework. By combining a pulse reaction technique with isotope labeling of methane, MDA is shown to be governed by a hydrocarbon pool mechanism in which benzene is derived from secondary reactions of confined polyaromatic carbon species with the initial products of methane activation.     

The Effect of Ge Incorporation on the Brønsted Acidity of ZSM‐5

The effect of the isomorphous substitution of some of the Si atoms in ZSM‐5 by Ge atoms on the Brønsted acid strength has been investigated by i) DFT calculations on cluster models of the formula ((HO)₃SiO)₃‐Al‐O(H)‐T‐(OSi(OH)₃)₃, with T=Si or Ge, and ((HO)₃SiO)₃‐Al‐O(H)‐Si‐(OGe(OH)₃)(OSi(OH)₃)₂, ii) a ³¹P NMR study of zeolite samples contacted with trimethyl phosphine oxide probe molecules and iii) a X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) study of ZSM‐5 and Ge‐ZSM‐5 samples. The calculations reveal that the effect of Ge incorporation on the framework acidity strongly depends on the degree of substitution and on the exact T‐atom positions that are occupied by Ge. High Ge concentrations allow for enhanced stabilisation of the deprotonated Ge‐ZSM‐5 through structural relaxation, resulting in a slightly higher acidity as compared to ZSM‐5. This structural relaxation is not achievable in Ge‐ZSM‐5 with a low Ge content, which therefore has a slightly lower acidity than ZSM‐5. The NMR study indicates no difference between the Brønsted acidity of ZSM‐5(47) and Ge(0.09)ZSM‐5(36). Instead, evidence for the presence of a substantial amount of Ge? OH groups in the Ge‐containing samples was obtained from the NMR results, which is consistent with earlier FTIR studies. The XPS results do not point to an effect of Ge on the framework acidity of ZSM‐5(47), instead, the results can be best interpreted by assuming the presence of additional Ge? OH and Si? OH groups near the surface of the Ge(0.08)ZSM‐5(47) sample.     

Theoretical Insights on Methylbenzene Side‐Chain Growth in ZSM‐5 Zeolites for Methanol‐to‐Olefin Conversion

The key step in the conversion of methane to polyolefins is the catalytic conversion of methanol to light olefins. The most recent formulations of a reaction mechanism for this process are based on the idea of a complex hydrocarbon‐pool network, in which certain organic species in the zeolite pores are methylated and from which light olefins are eliminated. Two major mechanisms have been proposed to date—the paring mechanism and the side‐chain mechanism—recently joined by a third, the alkene mechanism. Recently we succeeded in simulating a full catalytic cycle for the first of these in ZSM‐5, with inclusion of the zeolite framework and contents. In this paper, we will investigate crucial reaction steps of the second proposal (the side‐chain route) using both small and large zeolite cluster models of ZSM‐5. The deprotonation step, which forms an exocyclic double bond, depends crucially on the number and positioning of the other methyl groups but also on steric effects that are typical for the zeolite lattice. Because of steric considerations, we find exocyclic bond formation in the ortho position to the geminal methyl group to be more favourable than exocyclic bond formation in the para position. The side‐chain growth proceeds relatively easily but the major bottleneck is identified as subsequent de‐alkylation to produce ethene. These results suggest that the current formulation of the side‐chain route in ZSM‐5 may actually be a deactivating route to coke precursors rather than an active ethene‐producing hydrocarbon‐pool route. Other routes may be operating in alternative zeotype materials like the silico‐aluminophosphate SAPO‐34.     

Phosphatation of Zeolite H‐ZSM‐5: A Combined Microscopy and Spectroscopy Study

A variety of phosphated zeolite H‐ZSM‐5 samples are investigated by using a combination of Fourier transfer infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, single pulse ²⁷Al, ²⁹Si, ³¹P, ¹H‐³¹P cross polarization (CP), ²⁷Al‐³¹P CP, and ²⁷Al 3Q magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (MAS NMR) spectroscopy, scanning transmission X‐ray microscopy (STXM) and N₂ physisorption. This approach leads to insights into the physicochemical processes that take place during phosphatation. Direct phosphatation of H‐ZSM‐5 promotes zeolite aggregation, as phosphorus does not penetrate deep into the zeolite material and is mostly found on and close to the outer surface of the zeolite, acting as a glue. Phosphatation of pre‐steamed H‐ZSM‐5 gives rise to the formation of a crystalline tridymite AlPO₄ phase, which is found in the mesopores of dealuminated H‐ZSM‐5. Framework aluminum species interacting with phosphorus are not affected by hydrothermal treatment. Dealuminated H‐ZSM‐5, containing AlPO₄, retains relatively more framework Al atoms and acid sites during hydrothermal treatment than directly phosphated H‐ZSM‐5.     

Direct Detection of Supramolecular Reaction Centers in the Methanol‐to‐Olefins Conversion over Zeolite H‐ZSM‐5 by 13C–27Al Solid‐State NMR Spectroscopy

Hydrocarbon‐pool chemistry is important in methanol to olefins (MTO) conversion on acidic zeolite catalysts. The hydrocarbon‐pool (HP) species, such as methylbenzenes and cyclic carbocations, confined in zeolite channels during the reaction are essential in determining the reaction pathway. Herein, we experimentally demonstrate the formation of supramolecular reaction centers composed of organic hydrocarbon species and the inorganic zeolite framework in H‐ZSM‐5 zeolite by advanced ¹³C–²⁷Al double‐resonance solid‐state NMR spectroscopy. Methylbenzenes and cyclic carbocations located near Brønsted acid/base sites form the supramolecular reaction centers in the zeolite channel. The internuclear spatial interaction/proximity between the ¹³C nuclei (associated with HP species) and the ²⁷Al nuclei (associated with Brønsted acid/base sites) determines the reactivity of the HP species. The closer the HP species are to the zeolite framework Al, the higher their reactivity in the MTO reaction.     

NH3-SCR反应中Fe-ZSM-5的Fe物种分布和酸性位对其水热稳定性及抗硫和抗碳氢性能的影响

以Na+型和H+型ZSM-5为载体制备了Fe-ZSM-5催化剂并用于氨选择性催化还原(NH3-SCR)氮氧化物. Fe-H-ZSM-5在新鲜时和750 oC含10%水的空气中老化后,其SCR活性均优于Fe-Na-ZSM-5.表征结果显示, Fe-H-ZSM-5和Fe-Na-ZSM-5的Fe物种分布和酸性位有所不同.高温水热老化后Fe-H-ZSM-5分子筛骨架的脱铝较Fe-Na-ZSM-5严重.水和硫的存在对Fe-H-ZSM-5和Fe-Na-ZSM-5的SCR活性的影响相似,即降低了低温活性,略提高了高温活性. Fe-Na-ZSM-5表现出比Fe-H-ZSM-5更好的抗碳氢中毒性能.这两种催化剂的SO2和碳氢中毒是可逆的.     

纳米 ZSM-22分子筛的水热合成及在甲醇转化反应中的性能

分子筛结构的独特性和多样性使其在催化、吸附分离和离子交换等领域有着广泛应用.近年来,纳米分子筛制备和应用受到极大关注.与传统微米分子筛相比,纳米分子筛具有较小的晶粒尺寸、较大的外表面积和较高的表面活性,能显著提高其分离和催化性能.制备纳米晶体的常用方法有过量模板法、空间限定法、晶种法、离子热合成法及微反应器合成法等.目前,已合成出多种拓扑结构的纳米分子筛,包括 FAU, MFI, MEL和CHA等. ZSM-22是一种具有 TON拓扑结构的一维十元环直孔道分子筛(孔口尺寸为0.45 nm ×0.55 nm),在长链烷烃异构化和烯烃异构化等反应中表现出优异的催化活性.水热合成法是制备 ZSM-22分子筛最常用的方法,所得样品晶粒尺寸为2–15μm,但由于 ZSM-22分子筛是一种亚稳态结构,为了防止杂晶生成,合成通常是在剧烈搅拌(通常大于400 r/min)下进行.目前已有报道在较低转速下合成 ZSM-22分子筛,但产物仍为微米晶体;或在微波辅助水热合成条件下合成亚微米 ZSM-22分子筛,但晶体尺寸不可调且合成过程需要较高功率的微波反应器.因此,在水热条件下合成纯纳米 ZSM-22分子筛仍然是一个巨大挑战.本文在上述研究基础上采用改进的水热合成法成功合成出纳米 ZSM-22分子筛,考察了转速﹑硅铝比及乙醇共溶剂对晶粒尺寸的影响,比较了纳米和常规微米 ZSM-22分子筛的甲醇转化反应性能.结果表明,采用改进的水热合成法能够在较低转速下合成出纳米 ZSM-22分子筛,晶体尺寸在150–800 nm范围可调.通过考察转速对晶粒尺寸的影响,发现静态合成条件下无法形成 ZSM-22分子筛,表明 ZSM-22分子筛合成需要一定的转速.转速在10–50 r/min变化时,可以合成出不同晶体尺寸的 ZSM-22分子筛,且随转速提高, ZSM-22分子筛晶体尺寸先减小后增大,表明纳米 ZSM-22分子筛合成存在最佳转速.另外,配料硅铝比能显著影响 ZSM-22分子筛晶体尺寸,随配料硅铝比增加, ZSM-22分子筛晶体尺寸先减小后增大.通过在合成体系中添加乙醇作为共溶剂,考察了有机溶剂对 ZSM-22分子筛晶粒尺寸的影响,发现有机溶剂能显著增大 ZSM-22的晶体尺寸.将本文合成的纳米和常规微米 ZSM-22分子筛用于甲醇转化反应,考察了晶体尺寸对 ZSM-22分子筛甲醇转化反应性能的影响.发现与常规微米 ZSM-22分子筛相比,纳米 ZSM-22分子筛催化剂寿命显著提高,说明晶粒尺寸减小能有效减缓积碳导致的分子筛失活;同时,反应产物中乙烯和芳烃选择性有所提高,这是由于外表面积增大所致.此外,还考察了不同硅铝比 ZSM-22分子筛的甲醇转化反应性能.结果表明,分子筛硅铝比会影响催化剂寿命,但晶体尺寸对催化剂寿命影响更大. ZSM-22分子筛硅铝比增大有助于提高低碳烯烃选择性,减少芳烃生成.     

A DFT study on Cu(I) coordination in Cu‐ZSM‐5: Effects of the functional choice and tuning of the ONIOM approach

The coordination of Cu⁺ at the T1 and T7 positions of the M7 ring of Cu‐ZSM‐5, and the interaction of NO with coordinated Cu⁺ were investigated by means of DFT/ONIOM calculations. The B3LYP, BLYP, PBE1PBE, PBE, M06, and M062X functionals with the def2‐TZVP (def2‐QZVP for Cu) basis set were used in the high‐level part of ONIOM calculations, with the HF/3‐21G, B3LYP/LANL2DZ, M06/LANL2DZ, and M062X/LANL2DZ methods in the low‐level part. The ability of suitable combinations of the above methods to reproduce (i) the crystallographic structure of purely siliceous ZSM‐5, (ii) the tendency of Cu⁺ to be twofold or fourfold coordinated by framework oxygen atoms of Cu‐ZSM‐5, and (iii) the interaction energy and the N? O stretching frequency of adsorbed nitrogen oxide are discussed, showing that different results are obtained depending on the adopted computational approach. With reference to above properties, some considerations about the employment of the ONIOM approximations are also included. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Large Zeolite H‐ZSM‐5 Crystals as Models for the Methanol‐to‐Hydrocarbons Process: Bridging the Gap between Single‐Particle Examination and Bulk Catalyst Analysis

The catalytic, deactivation, and regeneration characteristics of large coffin‐shaped H‐ZSM‐5 crystals were investigated during the methanol‐to‐hydrocarbons (MTH) reaction at 350 and 500 °C. Online gas‐phase effluent analysis and examination of retained material thereof were used to explore the bulk properties of large coffin‐shaped zeolite H‐ZSM‐5 crystals in a fixed‐bed reactor to introduce them as model catalysts for the MTH reaction. These findings were related to observations made at the individual particle level by using polarization‐dependent UV‐visible microspectroscopy and mass spectrometric techniques after reaction in an in situ microspectroscopy reaction cell. Excellent agreement between the spectroscopic measurements and the analysis of hydrocarbon deposits by means of retained hydrocarbon analysis and time‐of‐flight secondary‐ion mass spectrometry of spent catalyst materials was observed. The obtained data reveal a shift towards more condensed coke deposits on the outer zeolite surface at higher reaction temperatures. Zeolites in the fixed‐bed reactor setup underwent more coke deposition than those reacted in the in situ microspectroscopy reaction cell. Regeneration studies of the large zeolite crystals were performed by oxidation in O₂/inert gas mixtures at 550 °C. UV‐visible microspectroscopic measurements using the oligomerization of styrene derivatives as probe reaction indicated that the fraction of strong acid sites decreased during regeneration. This change was accompanied by a slight decrease in the initial conversion obtained after regeneration. H‐ZSM‐5 deactivated more rapidly at higher reaction temperature.     

Gamma‐Ray Irradiation to Accelerate Crystallization of Mesoporous Zeolites

Gamma‐ray (γ‐ray) irradiation was introduced into zeolite synthesis. The crystallization process of zeolite NaA, NaY, Silicalite‐1, and ZSM‐5 were greatly accelerated. The crystallization time of NaA zeolite was significantly decreased to 18 h under γ‐ray irradiation at 20 °C, while more than 102 h was needed for the conventional process. Unexpectedly, more mesopores were created during this process, and thus the adsorption capacity of CO₂ increased by 6‐fold compared to the NaA prepared without γ‐ray irradiation. Solid experimental evidence and density function theory (DFT) calculations demonstrated that hydroxyl free radicals (OH*) generated by γ‐rays accelerated the crystallization of zeolite NaA. Besides NaA, mesoporous ZSM‐5 with MFI topology was also successfully synthesized under γ‐ray irradiation, which possessed excellent catalytic performance for methanol conversion, suggesting the universality of this new synthetic strategy for various zeolites.     

Direct Imaging of Atomically Dispersed Molybdenum that Enables Location of Aluminum in the Framework of Zeolite ZSM‐5

Integrated differential phase‐contrast scanning transmission electron microscopy (iDPC‐STEM) is capable of directly probing guest molecules in zeolites, owing to its sufficient and interpretable image contrast for both heavy and light elements under low‐dose conditions. This unique ability is demonstrated by imaging volatile organic compounds adsorbed in zeolite Silicalite‐1; iDPC‐STEM was then used to investigate molybdenum supported on various zeolites including Silicalite‐1, ZSM‐5, and mordenite. Isolated single‐Mo clusters were observed in the micropores of ZSM‐5, demonstrating the crucial role of framework Al in driving Mo atomically dispersed into the micropores. Importantly, the specific one‐to‐one Mo‐Al interaction makes it possible to locate Al atoms, that is, catalytic active sites, in the ZSM‐5 framework from the images, according to the positions of Mo atoms in the micropores.