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.     

不同方法制备的CoMo/Al2O3加氢脱硫催化剂的表征

 采用干混法、湿混法和浸渍法制备了CoMo/Al2O3加氢脱硫催化剂. 物理性质分析、X射线光电子能谱、X射线能量色散谱和程序升温硫化表征结果表明,干混法和湿混法催化剂的孔容和比表面积相当,均大于浸渍法催化剂. 浸渍法催化剂的表面粒子明显大于两种混捏法. 两种混捏法催化剂可以在低温区硫化,浸渍法催化剂的硫化可分别在低温区和高温区进行. 干混法催化剂中Co和Mo在微区内分布不均匀,浸渍法催化剂中Co和Mo在催化剂表面的分散量明显高于催化剂内部,湿混法催化剂中Co和Mo在微区内呈均匀分布. 湿混法催化剂的Co和Mo在催化剂表面的分散状态好于干混法和浸渍法,制备方法对催化剂中Co和Mo的存在环境及价态没有影响. 石脑油加氢脱硫反应评价结果表明,湿混法催化剂的加氢脱硫活性高于浸渍法和干混法催化剂.     

New Insights into the Nature of Co‐components and Their Impact on Pd Structure: X‐ray Absorption Studies on Toluene Acetoxylation Catalysts

Co‐components are a powerful tool to tune the performance of catalysts, but their nature and their impact on the catalysts is often controversially discussed. In this study X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) was employed to elucidate the nature of co‐components and their impact on the catalytic reaction. In anatase‐supported Pd‐based catalysts for the gas‐phase acetoxylation of toluene, less noble co‐components (e.g., Mn, Co, and Sb) spread over the support in their oxidic form and changed their valence state on stream. Incorporated atoms such as C or a small part of the Sb affect the electronic structure of Pd. For the noble Au, only a weak interaction with the support and Pd was observed during time on stream. Only XAS at the K‐edges together with investigations of the Pd L‐edge for a better understanding of the electronic structure, supplemented by STEM for elemental mapping, allow such detailed insights.     

Molybdenum Speciation and its Impact on Catalytic Activity during Methane Dehydroaromatization in Zeolite ZSM‐5 as Revealed by Operando X‐Ray Methods

Combined high‐resolution fluorescence detection X‐ray absorption near‐edge spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and X‐ray emission spectroscopy have been employed under operando conditions to obtain detailed new insight into the nature of the Mo species on zeolite ZSM‐5 during methane dehydroaromatization. The results show that isolated Mo–oxo species present after calcination are converted by CH₄ into metastable MoC_xO_y species, which are primarily responsible for C₂H_x/C₃H_x formation. Further carburization leads to MoC₃ clusters, whose presence coincides with benzene formation. Both sintering of MoC₃ and accumulation of large hydrocarbons on the external surface, evidenced by fluorescence‐lifetime imaging microscopy, are principally responsible for the decrease in catalytic performance. These results show the importance of controlling Mo speciation to achieve the desired product formation, which has important implications for realizing the impact of CH₄ as a source for platform chemicals.     

Nickel Poisoning of a Cracking Catalyst Unravelled by Single‐Particle X‐ray Fluorescence‐Diffraction‐Absorption Tomography

Ni contamination from crude oil in the fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) process is one of the primary sources of catalyst deactivation, thereby promoting dehydrogenation–hydrogenation and speeding up coke growth. Herein, single‐particle X‐ray fluorescence, diffraction and absorption (μXRF‐μXRD‐μXAS) tomography is used in combination with confocal fluorescence microscopy (CFM) after thiophene staining to spatially resolve Ni interaction with catalyst components and study zeolite degradation, including the processes of dealumination and Brønsted acid sites distribution changes. The comparison between a Ni‐lean particle, exposed to hydrotreated feedstock, and a Ni‐rich one, exposed to non‐hydrotreated feedstock, reveals a preferential interaction of Ni, found in co‐localization with Fe, with the γ‐Al₂O₃ matrix, leading to the formation of spinel‐type hotspots. Although both particles show similar surface zeolite degradation, the Ni‐rich particle displays higher dealumination and a clear Brønsted acidity drop.     

Efficient Noble‐Metal‐Free Catalysts Supported by Three‐Dimensional Ordered Hierarchical Porous Carbon

Development of heterogeneous catalysts has attracted increasing attention, owing to their remarkable catalytic performance and recyclability. Herein, we report well‐developed heterogeneous catalysts with a three‐dimensional ordered hierarchical structure, constructed from nickel or cobalt nanoparticles embedded in porous carbon. The obtained catalysts were fully characterized by several techniques. On account of the uniform distribution of metal nanoparticles in the porous carbon matrix and large diffusion channels that allow for effective mass transport, the catalysts exhibited superior catalytic performance for styrene epoxidation reaction. In particular, the catalysts showed good catalytic activity, high selectivity and excellent recyclability toward the styrene epoxidation. Thus, this facile approach developed allows for fabricating advanced heterogeneous catalysts with high catalytic activities for useful practical applications.     

How Strain Affects the Reactivity of Surface Metal Oxide Catalysts

Highly dispersed molybdenum oxide supported on mesoporous silica SBA‐15 has been prepared by anion exchange resulting in a series of catalysts with changing Mo densities (0.2–2.5 Mo atoms nm^?2). X‐ray absorption, UV/Vis, Raman, and IR spectroscopy indicate that doubly anchored tetrahedral dioxo MoO₄ units are the major surface species at all loadings. Higher reducibility at loadings close to the monolayer measured by temperature‐programmed reduction and a steep increase in the catalytic activity observed in metathesis of propene and oxidative dehydrogenation of propane at 8 % of Mo loading are attributed to frustration of Mo oxide surface species and lateral interactions. Based on DFT calculations, NEXAFS spectra at the O‐K‐edge at high Mo loadings are explained by distorted MoO₄ complexes. Limited availability of anchor silanol groups at high loadings forces the MoO₄ groups to form more strained configurations. The occurrence of strain is linked to the increase in reactivity.     

Ni含量及预硫化对NiW/γ-Al2O3催化剂上噻吩加氢脱硫反应活性的影响

 采用连续流动微反装置考察了活性组分Ni／（Ni＋W）原子比及\r\n预硫化条件对NiW／γ－Al2O3催化剂噻吩加氢脱硫（HDS）反应活性的\r\n影响．用X射线光电子能谱和电镜微区元素分析方法对硫化态催化剂进\r\n行了表征．结果表明，催化剂的组成、硫化方法、硫化度和反应条件等\r\n都能影响NiW／γ－Al2O3催化剂的HDS反应活性．对于在较低温度（30\r\n0℃）下硫化的催化剂，当反应温度较低（260～290℃）时，最佳Ni／\r\n（Ni＋W）原子比为0．50，而当反应温度较高（330～360℃）时，最佳\r\nNi／（Ni＋W）原子比为0．23．当催化剂在300～450℃下硫化时，其噻\r\n吩HDS反应活性随硫化温度升高而增大，表明硫化度较高的催化剂具有\r\n较高的HDS反应活性．     

Sulfur‐33 Isotope Tracing of the Hydrodesulfurization Process: Insights into the Reaction Mechanism,Catalyst Characterization and Improvement

The novel approach based on ³³S isotope tracing is proposed for the elucidation of hydrodesulfurization (HDS) mechanisms and characterization of molybdenum sulfide catalysts. The technique involves sulfidation of the catalyst with ³³S‐isotope‐labeled dihydrogen sulfide, followed by monitoring the fate of the ³³S isotope in the course of the hydrodesulfurization reaction by online mass spectrometry and characterization of the catalyst after the reaction by temperature‐programmed oxidation with mass spectrometry (TPO‐MS). The results point to different pathways of thiophene transformation over Co or Ni‐promoted and unpromoted molybdenum sulfide catalysts, provide information on the role of promoter and give a key for the design of new efficient HDS catalysts.     

A Cinchona Alkaloid‐Functionalized Mesostructured Silica for Construction of Enriched Chiral β‐Trifluoromethyl‐β‐Hydroxy Ketones over An Epoxidation‐Relay Reduction Process

A cinchona alkaloid‐functionalized heterogeneous catalyst is prepared through a thiol‐ene click reaction of chiral N‐(3,5‐ditrifluoromethylbenzyl)quininium bromide and a mesostructured silica, which is obtained by co‐condensation of 1,2‐bis(triethoxysilyl)ethane and 3‐(triethoxysilyl)propane‐1‐thiol. Structural analyses and characterizations disclose its well‐defined chiral single‐site active center, and electron microscopy images reveal its monodisperse property. As a heterogenous catalyst, it enables an efficient asymmetric epoxidation of achiral β‐trifluoromethyl‐β,β‐disubstituted enones, the obtained chiral products can then be converted easily into enriched chiral β‐trifluoromethyl‐β‐hydroxy ketones through a sequential epoxidation‐relay reduction process. Furthermore, such a heterogeneous catalyst can be recovered conveniently and reused in asymmetric epoxidation of 4,4,4‐trifluoro‐1,3‐diphenylbut‐2‐enone, showing an attractive feature in a practical construction of enriched chiral β‐CF₃‐substituted molecules.     

X‐Ray Tomography Imaging of Porous Polyolefin Particles in an Electron Microscope

Advanced models of penetrant transport and reaction in spatially 3D porous polyolefin particles reconstructed from X‐ray µCT images require proper determination of particle morphology. Moreover, polyolefins exhibit a relatively low absorptivity for X‐rays, therefore their investigation using µCT can be difficult. In this paper, a low‐resolution µCT built into an SEM is used to examine how the µCT resolution and several user‐selected parameters associated with the scanning/reconstruction affect the resulting particle morphology. Using samples with known morphology and independent imaging techniques, the performance of the µCT device is critically assessed. Finally, a method suitable for the reliable reconstruction of polyolefin particles using low‐resolution µCT is proposed.

     

Designed Precursor for the Controlled Synthesis of Highly Active Atomic and Sub‐nanometric Platinum Catalysts on Mesoporous Silica

The development of new methods to synthesize nanometric metal catalysts has always been an important and prerequisite step in advanced catalysis. Herein, we design a stable nitrogen ligated Pt complex for the straightforward synthesis by carbonization of uniformly sized atomic and sub‐nanometric Pt catalysts supported on mesoporous silica. During the carbonization of the Pt precursor into active Pt species, the nitrogen‐containing ligand directed the decomposition in a controlled fashion to maintain uniform sizes of the Pt species. The nitrogen ligand had a key role to stabilize the single Pt atoms on a weak anchoring support like silica. The Pt catalysts exhibited remarkable activities in the hydrogenation of common organic functional groups with turnover frequencies higher than in previous studies. By a simple post‐synthetic treatment, we could selectively remove the Pt nanoparticles to obtain a mixture of single atoms and nanoclusters, extending the applicability of the present method.     

Development of a Continuous‐Flow System for Asymmetric Hydrogenation Using Self‐Supported Chiral Catalysts

Well‐designed, self‐assembled, metal–organic frameworks were constructed by simple mixing of multitopic MonoPhos‐based ligands ( 3 ; MonoPhos=chiral, monodentate phosphoramidites based on the 1,1′‐bi‐2‐naphthol platform) and [Rh(cod)₂]BF₄ (cod=cycloocta‐1,5‐diene). This self‐supporting strategy allowed for simple and efficient catalyst immobilization without the use of extra added support, giving well‐characterized, insoluble (in toluene) polymeric materials ( 4 ). The resulting self‐supported catalysts ( 4 ) showed outstanding catalytic performance for the asymmetric hydrogenation of a number of α‐dehydroamino acids ( 5 ) and 2‐aryl enamides ( 7 ) with enantiomeric excess (ee) ranges of 94–98 % and 90–98 %, respectively. The linker moiety in 4 influenced the reactivity significantly, albeit with slight impact on the enantioselectivity. Acquisition of reaction profiles under steady‐state conditions showed 4 h and 4 i to have the highest reactivity (turnover frequency (TOF)=95 and 97 h^?1 at 2 atm, respectively), whereas appropriate substrate/catalyst matching was needed for optimum chiral induction. The former was recycled 10 times without loss in ee (95–96 %), although a drop in TOF of approximately 20 % per cycle was observed. The estimation of effective catalytic sites in self‐supported catalyst 4 e was also carried out by isolation and hydrogenation of catalyst–substrate complex, showing about 37 % of the Rh^I centers in the self‐supported catalyst 4 e are accessible to substrate 5 c in the catalysis. A continuous flow reaction system using an activated C/ 4 h mixture as stationary‐phase catalyst for the asymmetric hydrogenation of 5 b was developed and run continuously for a total of 144 h with >99 % conversion and 96–97 % enantioselectivity. The total Rh leaching in the product solution is 1.7 % of that in original catalyst 4 h .     

4,6-二甲基二苯并噻吩加氢脱硫反应机理的研究 Ⅰ.NiW体系催化剂的催化行为

 分别以γ－Al2O3、无定形硅铝和含少量稀土分子筛的γ－Al2O3为载体，制备了不同系列的NiW体系加氢脱硫催化剂，并在连续流动微反装置上评价了催化剂对4，6－二甲基二苯并噻吩（DMDBT）加氢脱硫反应的催化性能．结果表明，NiW体系催化剂对该反应具有较高的芳烃加氢和脱硫活性；先加氢后脱硫是加氢脱硫（HDS）反应的主要途径，提高加氢活性是提高HDS活性最有效的途径；增强载体的酸性，直接脱硫和裂解活性均有所提高．同时，酸性载体负载的催化剂还显示出一定的异构化性能，但其加氢活性低于氧化铝负载的催化剂．酸性载体负载的NiW催化剂的异构化性能在邻二甲苯异构化反应中得到进一步证实．根据实验结果，讨论了NiW体系催化剂上DMDBT转化反应的不同途径．