The Importance of Precursors and Modification Groups of Aerogels in CO2 Capture

The rapid growth of CO₂ emissions in the atmosphere has attracted great attention due to the influence of the greenhouse effect. Aerogels’ application for capturing CO₂ is quite promising owing to their numerous advantages, such as high porosity (~95%); these are predominantly mesoporous (20–50 nm) materials with very high surface area (>800 m²∙g⁻¹). To increase the CO₂ level of aerogels’ uptake capacity and selectivity, active materials have been investigated, such as potassium carbonate, K₂CO₃, amines, and ionic-liquid amino-acid moieties loaded onto the surface of aerogels. The flexibility of the composition and surface chemistry of aerogels can be modified intentionally—indeed, manipulated—for CO₂ capture. Up to now, most research has focused mainly on the synthesis of amine-modified silica aerogels and the evaluation of their CO₂-sorption properties. However, there is no comprehensive study focusing on the effect of different types of aerogels and modification groups on the adsorption of CO₂. In this review, we present, in broad terms, the use of different precursors, as well as modification of synthesis parameters. The present review aims to consider which kind of precursors and modification groups can serve as potentially attractive molecular-design characteristics in promising materials for capturing CO₂.     

Boosting CO2 Electroreduction on N,P-Co-doped Carbon Aerogels

Electroreduction of CO₂ to CO powered by renewable electricity is a possible alternative to synthesizing CO from fossil fuel. However, it is very hard to achieve high current density at high faradaic efficiency (FE). Here, the first use of N,P-co-doped carbon aerogels (NPCA) to boost CO₂ reduction to CO is presented. The FE of CO could reach 99.1 % with a partial current density of −143.6 mA cm⁻², which is one of the highest current densities to date. NPCA has higher electrochemical active area and overall electronic conductivity than that of N- or P-doped carbon aerogels, which favors electron transfer from CO₂ to its radical anion or other key intermediates. By control experiments and theoretical calculations, it is found that the pyridinic N was very active for CO₂ reduction to CO, and co-doping of P with N hinder the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) significantly, and thus the both current density and FE are very high.     

Boosting CO2 Electroreduction on N,P‐Co‐doped Carbon Aerogels

Electroreduction of CO₂ to CO powered by renewable electricity is a possible alternative to synthesizing CO from fossil fuel. However, it is very hard to achieve high current density at high faradaic efficiency (FE). Here, the first use of N,P‐co‐doped carbon aerogels (NPCA) to boost CO₂ reduction to CO is presented. The FE of CO could reach 99.1 % with a partial current density of ?143.6 mA cm^?2, which is one of the highest current densities to date. NPCA has higher electrochemical active area and overall electronic conductivity than that of N‐ or P‐doped carbon aerogels, which favors electron transfer from CO₂ to its radical anion or other key intermediates. By control experiments and theoretical calculations, it is found that the pyridinic N was very active for CO₂ reduction to CO, and co‐doping of P with N hinder the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) significantly, and thus the both current density and FE are very high.     

Preparation,Characterization, and Catalytic Behavior of Nanostructured Mesoporous CuO/ZrO2 Catalysts for Low-Temperature CO Oxidation

High-surface area mesoporous 20 mol% CuO/ZrO₂ catalyst was prepared by a surfactant-assisted method of nanocrystalline particle assembly, and characterized by x-ray powder diffraction (XRD), N₂ adsorption, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), H₂-TPR, TG-DTA, and x-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) techniques. The catalytic properties of the CuO/ZrO₂ nanocatalysts calcined at different temperature were evaluated by low-temperature carbon monoxide oxidation using a CATLAB system. The results showed that these mesoporous nanostructured CuO/ZrO₂ catalysts were very active for low-temperature CO oxidation and the CuO/ZrO₂ catalyst calcined at 400°C exhibited the highest catalytic activity.     

Tuning the CO2 Hydrogenation Selectivity of Rhodium Single-Atom Catalysts on Zirconium Dioxide with Alkali Ions

Tuning the coordination environments of metal single atoms (M₁) in single-atom catalysts has shown large impacts on catalytic activity and stability but often barely on selectivity in thermocatalysis. Here, we report that simultaneously regulating both Rh₁ atoms and ZrO₂ support with alkali ions (e.g., Na) enables efficient switching of the reaction products from nearly 100 % CH₄ to above 99 % CO in CO₂ hydrogenation in a wide temperature range (240–440 °C) along with a record high activity of 9.4 mol_CO g_Rh⁻¹ h⁻¹ at 300 °C and long-term stability. In situ spectroscopic characterization and theoretical calculations unveil that alkali ions on ZrO₂ change the surface intermediate from formate to carboxy species during CO₂ activation, thus leading to exclusive CO formation. Meanwhile, alkali ions also reinforce the electronic Rh₁-support interactions, endowing the Rh₁ atoms more electron deficient, which improves the stability against sintering and inhibits deep hydrogenation of CO to CH₄.     

ZrO_2负载Pt催化巴豆醛选择性加氢

以高比表面积ZrO2为载体,采用浸渍法制备了负载型Pt催化剂,应用于常压下气相巴豆醛加氢反应,考察了Pt负载量和H2还原温度等对巴豆醛选择性加氢性能的影响.实验结果表明,Pt负载量(质量分数)为3%的3Pt/ZrO2催化剂经500℃还原后,具有较高的巴豆醛选择性加氢性能:巴豆醛转化率为27%,巴豆醇的选择性为55%.X射线粉末衍射(XRD)分析,CO化学吸附,NH3程序升温脱附(NH3-TPD)表征结果表明Pt/ZrO2催化剂上Lewis强酸中心和适宜的Pt颗粒(约为8nm)有利于巴豆醛选择性加氢生成巴豆醇.     

H2-induced CO adsorption and dissociation over Co/Al2O3 catalyst

The activation of adsorbed CO is an important step in CO hydrogenation. The results from TPSR of pre-adsorbed CO with H2 and syngas suggested that the presence of H2 increased the amount of CO adsorption and accelerated CO dissociation. The H2 was adsorbed first, and activated to form H＊ over metal sites, then reacted with carbonaceous species. The oxygen species for CO2 formation in the presence of hydrogen was mostly OH^＊, which reacted with adsorbed CO subsequently via CO^＊＋OH^＊ → CO2^＊＋H^＊; however, the direct CO dissociation was not excluded in CO hydrogenation. The dissociation of C-O bond in the presence of H2 proceeded by a concerted mechanism, which assisted the Boudourd reaction of adsorbed CO on the surface via CO^＊＋2H^＊ → CH^＊＋OH^＊. The formation of the surface species （CH） from adsorbed CO proceeded as indicated with the participation of surface hydrogen, was favored in the initial step of the Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.     

Efficient Ni-based catalysts for low-temperature reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction

CO₂ hydrogenation for syngas can alleviate the pressure of un-controlled emissions of CO₂ and bring enormous economic benefits. Advantageous Ni-catalysts have good CO₂ hydrogenation activity and high CO selectivity merely over 700 °C. Herein, we introduced Cu into Ni catalysts, which were evaluated by H₂-TPR, XRD, BET, in-situ XPS and CO₂-TPD, and their CO₂ hydrogenation activity and CO selectivity were significantly affected by the Ni/Cu ratios, which was rationalized by the synergistic effect of bimetallic catalysts. In addition, the reduction temperatures of studied catalysts apparently affected the CO₂ hydrogenation, which were caused by the number and dispersion of the active species. It's found that the Ni₁Cu₁-400 had good stability, high CO selectivity (up to 90%), and fast formation rate (1.81×10⁻⁵ mol/g_cat/s) at 400 °C, which demonstrated a good potential as a superior catalyst for reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction.     

铬助剂对Cu/ZrO_2/CNTs-NH_2催化剂催化CO_2加氢合成甲醇性能的影响

采用并流共沉淀方法制备了一系列不同铬含量的Cu/ZrO2/CNTs-NH2催化剂,在固定床反应器上考察铬对催化剂催化CO2加氢合成甲醇反应性能的影响.当铬含量为1%(w),反应温度为260°C,压力为3.0MPa,原料气组成为V(H2):V(CO2):V(N2)=69:23:8,空速为3600 mL·h-1·g-1时,催化剂的促进效果最显著,甲醇收率达7.78%.氮吸附、粉末X射线衍射(XRD)、氢气程序升温脱附(H2-TPR)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、二氧化碳程序升温脱附(CO2-TPD)、差热分析(DTA)以及扫描电子显微镜(SEM)等表征结果表明,随着铬含量的增加,铜颗粒的粒径减小,催化剂的比表面积增大.铬的加入一方面提高了铜的分散性,抑制了ZrO2的相变和活性组分的烧结;另一方面提高了CO2的吸附量并促进CO2由弱吸附向强吸附转化,从而提高甲醇的收率;但是当铬含量大于1%时,催化剂表面Cu、Zr的总含量明显下降,降低了CO2的吸附量并且形成了超强CO2吸附物种,抑制了CO2及其中间产物的转化,从而降低了甲醇收率.     

New Palladium – ZrO2 Nano-Architectures from Thermal Transformation of UiO-66-NH2 for Carbonylative Suzuki and Hydrogenation Reactions

The new nanocomposites, Pd/C/ZrO₂, PdO/ZrO_2, and Pd/PdO/ZrO₂, were prepared by thermal conversion of Pd@UiO-66-Zr−NH₂ (MOF) in nitrogen or air atmosphere. The presence of Pd nanoparticles, uniformly distributed on the ZrO₂ or C/ZrO₂ matrix, was evidenced by transmission electron microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Raman and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) methods. All pyrolysed composites retained the shape of the MOF template. They catalyze carbonylative Suzuki coupling under 1 atm CO with an efficiency significantly higher than the original Pd@UiO-66-Zr−NH₂. The most active PdO/ZrO₂ composite, formed benzophenone with TOF up to 1600 h⁻¹, while by using Pd@UiO-66-Zr−NH₂, much lower TOF values, 51–95 h⁻¹, were achieved. After the reaction, PdO/ZrO₂ was recovered with the same composition and catalytic activity. Very good results were also obtained in the transfer hydrogenation of benzophenones to alcohols with Pd/C/ZrO₂ and PdO/ZrO₂ catalysts under microwave irradiation.     

Effect of the nanoparticle size of supported copper-containing catalysts on their activity in the selective oxidation of CO in an excess of H<Subscript>2</Subscript>

The catalytic properties of systems prepared by the supporting of CuO onto CeO₂, ZrO₂, and Zr_0.5Ce_0.5O₂ with particle sizes of 15–25 nm (nitrate pyrolysis (p)) and 5–6 nm (microemulsion method (me)) in the reaction of CO oxidation in an excess of H₂ were studied. In the latter case, the supports had an almost homogeneous surface and a small number of defects. The catalytic activity of (me) and (p) supports was low and almost the same, whereas the catalytic activity of CuO/(CeO₂, ZrO₂, and Zr_0.5Ce_0.5O₂)(me) samples was lower than that of CuO/(CeO₂ and ZrO₂)(p). The maximum CO conversion (∼100% at 125°C) was observed on 5% CuO/CeO₂ (p). The CO and CO₂ adsorption species on (p) and (me) catalysts were studied by TPD. Differences in the compositions of copper-containing centers on the surfaces of (p) and (me) systems were found using TPR. The nature of the active centers of CO oxidation and the effect of support crystallite size on the catalytic activity were considered.     

Synthesis characterization and catalytic evaluation of Ni/ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript>/SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> aerogels catalysts

The Ni/ZrO₂/SiO₂ aerogels catalysts were synthesized via three different routes: (i) impregnation ZrO₂–SiO₂ composite aerogels with a aqueous solution of Ni(NO₃)₂, (ii) impregnation SiO₂ aerogels with a mixed aqueous solution of Ni(NO₃)₂ and ZrO(NO₃)₂ · 2H₂O, (iii) one-pot sol–gel procedure from precursors Ni(NO₃)₂/ZrO(NO₃)₂ · 2H₂O/Si(OC₂H₅)₄. These catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), ammonia temperature-programmed desorption (NH₃-TPD), N₂ adsorption–desorption isotherms and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR). The Liquid-phase hydrogenation of maleic anhydride (MA) was performed over these catalysts. The results revealed that the different preparation routes result in a difference between the obtained samples, concerning the crystal structure and composition, surface acidity, mixed level of each component, texture, and catalytic selectivity.     

Metal/zirconia catalysts for the synthesis of methanol: characterization by vibrational spectroscopy

The activation of carbon dioxide by catalytic hydrogenation has been studied as a route for methanol synthesis. Metal/zirconia catalysts suitable for this reaction have been prepared by (i) activation of amorphous metal alloys [1] or (ii) coprecipitation of amorphous zirconia and metal oxides [2]. Vibrational spectroscopy has been used to obtain information on the catalytic reaction mechanism, by the in situ identification of adsorbed species and intermediates under reaction conditions.The reverse water-gas shift reaction, producing CO from CO₂ and hydrogen, plays a crucial role in the reaction mechanism. This reduction is shown to proceed via surface formate, adsorbed close to the metal/zirconia interface. Over Pd/ZrO₂ and Ni/ZrO₂, formate is reduced to methane without further observable intermediates. Pivotal intermediates on the route to methanol, as observed on Cu/ZrO₂ catalysts, are -bound formaldehyde and surface methylate. Addition of silver as a promoter can result in enhanced selectivities and productivities for methanol formation. The synergy between the two metals becomes evident from the spectroscopic measurements; the most prominent feature of the silver-promoted catalysts is a high concentration of surface formaldehyde, which is either preferentially formed or stabilized by the silver component.     

Effects of Ethanol Impregnation on the Catalytic Properties of Silica-Supported Cobalt Catalysts

Silca-supported Co₃O₄ (6 wt% as Co) catalysts were prepared by pore volume impregnation of ethanol or aqueous cobalt nitrate solutions, and calcined in vacuo to 300 °C. The catalytic performances of these catalysts for oxidation and hydrogenation of CO were examined. All Co₃O₄/SiO₂ catalysts were found to be very active in catalyzing oxidation of CO to CO₂ as compared to a commercial 1 wt% Pt/Al₂O₃. The ethanol-prepared catalysts exhibited higher activity than those of the aqua-prepared catalysts. Pre-calcination of the ethanol-prepared catalysts in oxygen at 600 °C resulted in a dramatic decrease in the activity. Temperature programmed oxidation indicated the presence of carbon deposits on the surface of used catalysts. Infrared spectra showed the continuous generation of CO₂ when these catalysts were exposed to CO. These indicate the primary role of CO disproportionation in catalytic oxidation of CO on Co₃O₄ at low temperature and explain the sharp decrease in activity in the initial period. After reduction at 400 °C, the ethanol-prepared catalysts were also found to be more active in catalyzing hydrogenation of CO, and produced less methane and olefin (C2-C4) fraction. Higher turnover frequencies were observed after high temperature reduction (600 °C) as well, at which ethoxyl groups were removed from silica surface. In both reactions, the enhanced activity for the ethanol-prepared catalysts can not be fully accounted for by the increase in the dispersion of Co₃O₄ or CO metal. This suggests that the surface structures of Co₃O₄ or CO were further modified by the carbonaceous species derived from ethanol.     

CeO<Subscript>2</Subscript>–ZrO<Subscript>2</Subscript>–Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> Ternary Oxides Synthesized via Supercritical Anti-Solvent and as a Support for Pd Catalyst for CO Oxidation

CeO₂–ZrO₂–Al₂O₃ ternary oxides as a support for CO oxidation was synthesized successfully via supercritical anti-solvent (SAS) precipitation using CO₂ as the anti-solvent and methanol as the solvent. It was found that the CeO₂–ZrO₂–Al₂O₃ fabricated by SAS precipitation (CZA1) had superior resistance to sintering compared to the traditional co-precipitation method (CZA2). Meanwhile, the oxygen storage/release rate of CAZ1 was almost 1.5 times higher than that of CZA2 and the total oxygen storage capacity (OSC) of CAZ1 was almost twice as high as CZA2. The interactions between the Pd and the CeO₂–ZrO₂–Al₂O₃ support were stronger for the support synthesized by SAS precipitation. The conversion of CO oxidation of Pd/CZA1 was even better than that of Pd/CZA2, especially at high GHSV.     

"Decoking" of a "coked" zeolite catalyst in a glow discharge

'Decoking' of a 'coked' zeolite catalyst in a glow discharge in oxygen is investigated. The 'decoking' process involves reactions of atomic oxygen (O atoms) with 'coke' and yields gases such as CO, CO₂ as well as other gaseous products that could be easily pumped out.Three different modes of discharge were investigated including a static mode, a flowing-gas mode, and a periodic-purge mode where the oxygen and other gaseous products of the discharge were replaced by fresh O₂ gas after short but regular intervals of time. In some cases, additional heating was also used to provide base temperatures of the order of 100 °C to facilitate penetration of oxygen atoms into the inner layers and cages of the zeolite catalyst.This paper presents some results of spectroscopic analytical techniques used to monitor the atomization of oxygen, oxidation of 'coke', and to confirm the process of 'decoking'. More specifically, radiation emission on the 3 s ⁵S– 3p ⁵P transitions of O around 777.2–777.5 nm were selected for monitoring the atomization of O₂. On the other hand, X-ray photo-electron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to determine the amount of residual carbon and extent of 'decoking'. Furthermore, evolution of CO and CO₂ gases as a function of time was systematically monitored in real time. For CO, the 451.1 nm band head belonging to the B¹ - A¹ bands of the Angstrom system of the CO spectrum was used, while for CO₂, the band head at 353.4 nm belonging to the CO₂⁺ spectrum was used. The rates of evolution of CO and CO₂ were related to the rate of 'decoking' of the catalyst. It is noted that in the periodic-purge mode, about 63% of the total yield of CO from a given sample of the catalyst appears in the first 3-min exposure to discharge whereas it takes up to 15 min to remove nearly 94% of the removable carbon under our experimental conditions.     

A New Type of Photocatalysis Initiated by Photoexcitation of Adsorbed Carbon Dioxide on ZrO2

ZrO₂ has been found to be an effective photocatalyst for reduction of CO₂ by hydrogen or methane at room temperature. The effective photon energy is less than the band gap energy of ZrO₂ (5.0 eV), indicating that photoexcitation of bulk ZrO₂ is not involved. The reaction is initiated by photoexcitation of surface carbonates derived from adsorption of CO₂ to convert it to a CO₂ ^– radical, which in turn reacts with hydrogen or methane to form surface formate. The formate is stable at temperatures below 573 K, but works as a reductant of CO₂ under photoirradiation. A new type of reaction mechanism is proposed.     

CO2 fixation by hydrogenation over coprecipitated Co/Al2O3

CO₂ fixation by hydrogenation over coprecipitated 36 wt.% Co/Al₂O₃ has been studied under a range of reaction conditions to clarify the effects of reaction variables and to determine the kinetics and mechanism of the reaction. A comparison of the results with those reported for CO hydrogenation on the same catalyst indicates that, although product distributions of CO₂ and CO hydrogenation differ, the kinetics and mechanism are similar.     

Titania supported copper catalysts for methanol synthesis from carbon dioxide

The effect of co-catalyst (ZnO or ZrO₂) has been tested for hydrogenation of CO₂ on CuO/TiO₂ and CuO/Al₂O₃. CuO−ZnO/TiO₂ catalyst showed the highest activity for methanol synthesis. Kinetic parameters were also determined.     

Influence of ZrO2 on Carbon Monoxide Oxidation Over Pd/Al2O3

The influence of ZrO₂ on the properties of Al₂O₃ and performances of Pd/Al₂O₃ catalyst in CO oxidation have been investigated. TPD results show that the activity enhanced is due to the increase of the adsorptive capacity of CO and the activation of C=O bond after the introduction of ZrO₂.