Hydrogenolysis of methylcyclopentane over the bimetallic Ir-Au/γ-Al2O3 catalysts

The gas-phase hydrogenolysis of methylcyclopentane (MCP) was investigated over the bimetallic Ir-Au/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts. The bimetallic systems containing the atomic Au/Ir ratios in the range of 0.125-8 and a fixed total metal content of 8 wt.%, were prepared by the sequential impregnation (SI) and co-impregnation (CI) methods. The corresponding monometallic Ir/γ-Al₂O₃ and Au/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts were also prepared. The materials were characterized by ICP, XRD, N₂ adsorption, TEM, and H₂ chemisorption. Highly dispersed Ir nanoparticles were obtained in all cases, while the size of Au nanoparticles increased (up to 50 nm) upon the increasing Au content in the catalyst. The monometallic gold catalyst did not adsorb H₂. The incorporation of Au increased the amount of irreversible adsorbed H₂ in the Ir-Au/γ-Al₂O₃ catalysts with respect to the monometallic ones. The products obtained in the MCP hydrogenolysis were 2-methylpentane (2-MP), 3-methylpentane (3-MP) and n-hexane (n-H). The initial rate (molecules of MCP reacted s⁻¹ g_Ir⁻¹) increased with the Au content. The deactivation was lower for bimetallic catalysts, particularly for the CI ones. The addition of Au played a significant effect on chemisorption and catalytic properties of Ir.     

Characterisation of the Ru/MgF2 catalyst with adsorbed O2, NO, CO probe molecules by EPR and IR spectroscopy

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and infrared (IR) spectroscopy were used to study the formation of ruthenium and adsorbed species appearing on the catalyst during O₂, NO, and CO adsorption at room temperature on 1 wt% Ru/MgF₂ catalysts prepared from Ru₃(CO)₁₂ . Both EPR and IR results provided clear evidence for the interaction between surface ruthenium and probe molecules. No EPR signals due to ruthenium (Ru) species were recorded at 300 and 77 K after H₂-reduction of the catalyst at 673 K. However, at 4.2 K a very weak EPR spectrum due to low-spin (4d⁵) Ru³⁺ complexes was detected. A weak anisotropic O₂^- radicals signal with g_∣∣=2.017 and g_⊥=2.003 superimposed on a broad (ΔB_pp=120 mT), slightly asymmetric line at g=2.45(1) was identified after O₂ admission to the reduced sample. Adsorption of NO gives only a broad, Gaussian-shaped EPR line at g=2.43(1) indicating that the admission of NO, similarly to O₂ adsorption, brings about an oxidation of Ru species in the course of the NO decomposition reaction. Introduction of NO over the CO preadsorbed catalyst leads to EPR spectrum with parameters g_⊥=1.996, g_∣∣=1.895, and A_⊥^N=2.9 mT assigned to surface NO species associated with Ru ions. The IR spectra recorded after adsorption of NO or CO probe molecules showed the bands in the range of frequency characteristic of ruthenium nitrosyl, nitro, and nitrate/nitrite species and the bands characteristic of ruthenium mono-and multicarbonyls, respectively. Addition of CO after NO admission to the catalyst leads to appearance in the IR spectrum, beside the ones characteristic of NO adsorption, the bands which can be attributed to Ru-CO₂ and Ru-NCO species, indicating that the reaction between NO and CO occurs. These species were also detected after CO adsorption followed by NO adsorption, additionally to the band at 1850 cm⁻¹ being due to cis-type species.     

Direct comparison of the reactivity of the non-oxidic phase of Ru(0 0 0 1) and the RuO2 phase in the CO oxidation reaction

Applying in situ surface X-ray diffraction (SXRD) together with on-line mass spectrometry during the CO oxidation over Ru(0 0 0 1) allows a direct comparison of the reactivity of the non-oxidic state with that of the RuO₂(1 1 0) covered surface. This comparison reveals that the RuO₂(1 1 0) surface is a catalytically active phase at least as active as the non-oxidic phase. At high CO and O₂ pressures of 200 mbar and temperatures above 550 K, the CO oxidation reaction does not proceed isothermally on the RuO₂(1 1 0) surface. The released reaction heat leads rather to an increase of the sample temperature of up to 130 K accompanied by a self-acceleration of the CO oxidation reaction.     

High temperature magnetic ordering in La2RuO5

Magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity and electrical resistivity measurements have been carried out on a new ruthenate, La₂RuO₅ (monoclinic, space group P2₁/c) which reveal that this compound is a magnetic semiconductor with a high magnetic ordering temperature of 170 K. The entropy associated with the magnetic transition is 8.3 J/mol K close to that expected for the low spin (S=1) state of Ru⁴⁺ ions. The low temperatures specific heat coefficient γ is found to be nearly zero consistent with the semiconducting nature of the compound. The magnetic ordering temperature of La₂RuO₅ is comparable to the highest known Curie temperature of another ruthenate, namely, metallic SrRuO₃, and in both these compounds the nominal charge state of Ru is 4+.     

Surface chemistry and catalytic activity of Ni/Al2O3 irradiated with high-energy electron beam

The radiation effects induced effects by electron beam (EB) treatment on the catalytic activity of Ni/γ-Al₂O₃ were studied for the carbon dioxide reforming of methane with different EB energy and absorbed radiation dose. Transmission electron microscope (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to determine the change in structure and surface states of Ni/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst before and after the EB treatment. Higher energy EB treatment is useful for increasing the proportion of the active sites (such as Ni⁰ and NiAl₂O₄-phase) on the surface. The increase of Ni/Al-ratio indicates that the Ni dispersion on the surface increased with the EB-treatment, resulting in an increase of the active sites, which leads to improving the catalytic activity. XPS measurement also showed a decrease of the surface carbon with EB dose. The maximum 20% increase in the conversion of CO₂/CH₄-mixture into CO/H₂ gas was observed for the catalyst treated with 2 MeV energy and 600 kGy dose of EB relative to untreated.     

Characterization of Pd-CeOx interaction on α-Al2O3 support

The Pd-Ce interaction was studied over CeO₂ (0.3-2.5 wt.%)-Pd (1 wt.%)/α-Al₂O₃ catalysts used in the reforming reaction of CH₄ with CO₂. The samples were characterized by using high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The activity and selectivity behavior was in good agreement with that of other supported metal catalysts (Ni and Pd) modified with different promoters. The preliminary results of HRTEM would indicate that the CeO_x forms small crystallites around the Pd particle. The XPS analysis for the regions of Ce 3d and Pd 3d, gives an account of Ce being present mostly as Ce³⁺ and a high binding energy for Pd 3d_5/2 (335.3 eV), an evidence of Pd-Ce chemical interaction. The Pd/Al XPS intensity ratios vs. the Pd average particle size, determined by TEM, show an excellent correlation for fresh and used catalyst. These results indicate that the diminution of the Pd/Al ratios was due to Pd sintering. Consequently, the small amounts of CeO_x species do not cover the Pd particle, in agreement with the HRTEM results. The overall results stand for the promoter action mechanism of the CeO_x for the reforming reaction with CO₂.     

Growth of high-density Ru- and RuO2-composite nanodots on atomic-layer-deposited Al2O3 film

Growth of Ru- and RuO₂-composite (ROC) nanodots on atomic-layer-deposited Al₂O₃ film has been studied for the first time using ion-beam sputtering followed by post-deposition annealing (PDA). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analyses reveal that RuO₂ and Ru co-exist before annealing, and around 10% RuO₂ is reduced to metallic Ru after PDA at 900 °C for 15 s. Scanning electron microscopy measurements show that well-defined spherical ROC nanodots are not formed till the PDA temperature is raised to 900 °C. The mean diameter of the nanodots enlarges with increasing PDA temperature whereas the nanodot density decreases, which is attributed to coalescence process between adjacent nanodots. It is further illustrated that the resulting nanodot size and density are weakly dependent on the annealing time, but are markedly influenced by the decomposition of RuO₂. In this article, the ROC nanodots with a high density of 1.6 × 10¹¹ cm⁻², a mean diameter of 20 nm with a standard deviation of 3.0 nm have been achieved for the PDA at 900 °C for 15 s, which is promising for flash memory application.     

Thermal treatment effects on the Ru/CeO2 catalysts performance for partial hydrogenation of benzene

The aim of this work is to study the effect of the preparation conditions of Ru/CeO₂ catalyst (calcination temperature and/or reduction) over the performance in the partial hydrogenation of benzene reaction in the presence of TiCl₃. The catalysts were prepared through chlorinated precursors by incipient wetness impregnation method. The reaction occurred in three-phase reactional medium in presence of water at 373 K and 5.0 MPa. Temperature programmed reduction (TPR) profiles of calcinated catalysts indicate the presence of oxidated ruthenium. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis confirms this supposition, showing that the ruthenium appears in the form of RuO₂ for the sample calcinated at 673 K, while for the reduced solid at 773 K, the Ru appears in the metallic state. However, the calcination step followed or not by reduction, strongly hinders the catalytic performance. In its turn, the direct reduction leads to a more active Ru/CeO₂ catalysts, as well as higher cyclohexene yields throughout all the reaction.     

CO oxidation over Ru(0 0 0 1) at near-atmospheric pressures: From chemisorbed oxygen to RuO2

RuO₂(1 1 0) was formed on Ru(0 0 0 1) under oxygen-rich reaction conditions at 550 K and high pressures. This phase was also synthesized using pure O₂ and high reaction temperatures. Subsequently the RuO₂ was subjected to CO oxidation reaction at stoichiometric and net reducing conditions at near-atmospheric pressures. Both in situ polarization modulation infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (PM-IRAS) and post-reaction Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) measurements indicate that RuO₂ gradually converts to a surface oxide and then to a chemisorbed oxygen phase. Reaction kinetics shows that the chemisorbed oxygen phase has the highest reactivity due to a smaller CO binding energy to this surface. These results also show that a chemisorbed oxygen phase is the thermodynamically stable phase under stoichiometric and reducing reaction conditions. Under net oxidizing conditions, RuO₂ displays high reactivity at relatively low temperatures (?450 K). We propose that this high reactivity involves a very reactive surface oxygen species, possibly a weakly bound, atomic oxygen or an active molecular O₂ species. RuO₂ deactivates gradually under oxidizing reaction conditions. Post-reaction AES measurements reveal that this deactivation is caused by a surface carbonaceous species, most likely carbonate, that dissociates above 500 K.     

A density functional theory study of formaldehyde adsorption and oxidation on CeO2(1 1 1) surface

The effects of different oxygen species and vacancies on the adsorption and oxidation of formaldehyde over CeO₂(1 1 1) surface were systematically investigated by using density functional theory (DFT) method. On the stoichiometric CeO₂(1 1 1) surface, the C-H bond rupture barriers of chemisorbed formaldehyde are much higher than that of formaldehyde desorption. On the reduced CeO₂(1 1 1) surface, the energy barriers of C-H bond ruptures are less than those on the stoichiometric CeO₂(1 1 1) surface. If the C-H bond rupture occurs, CO and H₂ form quickly with low energy barriers. When O₂ adsorbs on the reduced (1 1 1) surface (O₂/O_v species), the C-H bond rupture barriers of formaldehyde are greatly reduced in comparison with those on the stoichiometric CeO₂(1 1 1) surface. If O₂ adsorbs on oxygen vacancy at sub-layer surface, its oxidative roles on formaldehyde are much similar to that of O₂/O_v species.     

Interaction of H2O with the RuO2(1 1 0) surface studied by HREELS and TDS

The adsorption of water on a RuO₂(1 1 0) surface was studied by using high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS) and thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS). The first thermal desorption peak observed between 350 and 425 K is attributed to molecular water adsorbed on fivefold coordinated Ru_cus sites. Higher coverages of water give rise to TDS peaks between 190 and 160 K, which we attribute to water in the second layer bound to bridge oxygen, and multilayers, respectively. HREELS shows that H₂O chemisorbs on Ru_cus sites through oxygen inducing a slight red shift of the vibrational frequency of O_bridge atoms. Molecular adsorption is also confirmed by the presence of both the scissor and the libration modes showing the expected isotopic shift for D₂O. The water adsorbed on the Ru_cus sites also forms hydrogen bonds with the bridge oxygen indicated by the broad intensity at the lower frequency side of the O-H stretch mode. HREELS and TDS results suggest that on the perfect RuO₂(1 1 0) surface water dissociation is almost negligible.     

Chemical quenching of positronium in Fe2O3/Al2O3 catalysts

Fe₂O₃/Al₂O₃ catalysts were prepared by solid state reaction method using α-Fe₂O₃ and γ-Al₂O₃ nano powders. The microstructure and surface properties of the catalyst were studied using positron lifetime and coincidence Doppler broadening annihilation radiation measurements. The positron lifetime spectrum shows four components. The two long lifetimes τ₃ and τ₄ are attributed to positronium annihilation in two types of pores distributed inside Al₂O₃ grain and between the grains, respectively. With increasing Fe₂O₃ content from 3 wt% to 40 wt%, the lifetime τ₃ keeps nearly unchanged, while the longest lifetime τ₄ shows decrease from 96 ns to 64 ns. Its intensity decreases drastically from 24% to less than 8%. The Doppler broadening S parameter shows also a continuous decrease. Further analysis of the Doppler broadening spectra reveals a decrease in the p-Ps intensity with increasing Fe₂O₃ content, which rules out the possibility of spin-conversion of positronium. Therefore the decrease of τ₄ is most probably due to the chemical quenching reaction of positronium with Fe ions on the surface of the large pores.     

Hydroxylated α-Al2O3 (0 0 0 1) surfaces and metal/α-Al2O3 (0 0 0 1) interfaces

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was applied to study the hydroxylation of α-Al₂O₃ (0 0 0 1) surfaces and the stability of surface OH groups. The evolution of interfacial chemistry of the α-Al₂O₃ (0 0 0 1) surfaces and metal/α-Al₂O₃ (0 0 0 1) interfaces are well illustrated via modifications of the surface O1s spectra. Clean hydroxylated surfaces are obtained through water- and oxygen plasma treatment at room temperature. The surface OH groups of the hydroxylated surface are very sensitive to electron beam illumination, Ar⁺ sputtering, UHV heating, and adsorption of reactive metals. The transformation of a hydroxylated surface to an Al-terminated surface occurs by high temperature annealing or Al deposition.     

Magnetic order and crystal field in Dy2Ru2O7 and Yb2Ru2O7

The magnetic properties of R₂Ru₂O₇ pyrochlore compounds (R=Yb, Dy) were studied using specific heat down to 0.4 K and bulk magnetic measurements. These two rare-earth elements were chosen to demonstrate the effect of Ru-R exchange interaction on R magnetic sublattice, in two cases of anisotropy: axial in Dy and planar in Yb. Dy₂Ru₂O₇ undergoes a second order transition to a fully ordered state at 1.85 K with no signs of the spin-ice state. In Yb₂Ru₂O₇ the Yb sublattice orders gradually around 8 K due to the Ru molecular field and no further transition is observed down to 0.4 K. Including the Ru molecular field at the R site in calculations based on crystal field parameters known from titanates R₂Ti₂O₇, allowed us to interpret experimental data.     

Influence of treating frequency on microstructure and properties of Al2O3 coating on 304 stainless steel by cathodic plasma electrolytic deposition

Alumina ceramic coatings were fabricated on 304 stainless steel by cathodic plasma electrolytic deposition (CPED). Influence of treating frequency of the power supply on the microstructure and properties of the coatings were studied. The results indicated that coatings obtained at various frequencies on 304 stainless steels were all composed of α-Al₂O₃ and γ-Al₂O₃, and α-Al₂O₃ was the dominant phase. The contents of α-Al₂O₃ decreased gradually in a very small rate with increasing the frequency and γ-Al₂O₃ gradually increased. The surface of alumina ceramic coating was porous. With increasing the frequency, the coating surface gradually became less rough and more compact, resulting in low surface roughness. The bonding strength of Al₂O₃ coating was higher than 22 MPa and was not strongly affected by treating frequency. With increasing the frequency, the alumina coated steels showed better and gradually increasing corrosion resistance than the uncoated one in 3.5% NaCl solution. The coating steel with desirable corrosion resistance was obtained at 800 Hz whose corrosion current potential and corrosion density were −0.237 V and 7.367 × 10⁻⁸ A/cm², respectively.     

Adsorption of CO and C2H4 on Rh-loaded thin-film dysprosium oxide

A dysprosium oxide thin film was deposited on Ru(0 0 0 1) by vapor depositing Dy in 2 × 10⁻⁷ torr O₂ while the Ru was at 700 K. The film was ca. 5 nm thick and produced a p(1.4 × 1.4) LEED pattern relative to the Ru(0 0 0 1) substrate. The adsorption and reaction of CO and C₂H₄ adsorbed on Rh supported on the Dy₂O₃ film were studied by TPD and SXPS. The CO initially reacted with loosely bound oxygen in the substrate to produce CO₂. After the loosely bound oxygen was removed, the CO adsorbed non-dissociatively in a manner similar to what is seen on Rh(1 1 1). C₂H₄ adsorbed on the Rh particles and underwent progressive dehydrogenation to produce H₂ during TPD. The C from the C₂H₄ reacted with the O in Dy₂O₃ to produce CO. CO dissociation on the Rh particles could be promoted by treating the Dy₂O₃ with C₂H₄ before CO exposure.     

焙烧温度对SiO2负载的Co3O4纳米粒子表面氧缺陷浓度和CO氧化催化性能的影响

以传统的浸渍法,在不同焙烧温度下制备了用于CO氧化反应的Co₃O₄/SiO₂催化剂．通过激光拉曼光谱(Raman)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、X射线衍射(XRD)、程序升温还原(TPR)和X射线吸收精细结构谱(XAFS)表征了该系列催化剂的结构．在所有的催化剂中,XRD和Raman光谱都只检测到了Co₃O₄晶相的存在．与Co₃O₄体相相比,XPS结果表明在200 oC焙烧的(Co₃O₄(200)/SiO₂)催化剂中Co₃O₄表面上存在着过量的Co²⁺．与XPS的结果一致,TPR结果表明Co₃O₄(200)/SiO₂催化剂中Co₃O₄表面上存在氧缺陷, 并且XAFS结果也表明Co₃O₄(200)/SiO₂催化剂中Co₃O₄具有更多的Co²⁺．提高焙烧温度使得过量的Co²⁺进一步氧化为Co³⁺,同时降低了表面氧缺陷浓度,从而得到计量比的Co₃O₄4/SiO₂催化剂．在所有的负载催化剂中Co₃O₄(200)/SiO₂催化剂表现出了最好的CO氧化催化性能,表明过量Co²⁺和表面氧缺陷的存在能够促进Co₃O₄催化CO氧化反应的活性.     

Enhanced gas-sensing behaviour of Ru-doped SnO2 surface: A periodic density functional approach

A theoretical study on Ru-doped rutile SnO₂(1 1 0) surface has been carried out by means of periodic density functional theory (DFT) at generalized gradient approximation (GGA-RPBE) level with a periodic supercell approach. Electronic structure analysis was performed based on the band structure and partial density of states. The results provide evidence that the electronic structures of SnO₂(1 1 0) surface are modified by the surface Ru dopant, in which Ru 4d orbital are located at the edge of the band gap region. It is demonstrated that molecular oxygen adsorption characteristics on stoichiometric SnO₂(1 1 0) surface are changed from endothermic to exothermic due to the existence of surface Ru dopant. The dissociative adsorption of molecular oxygen on the Ru_5c/SnO₂(1 1 0) surface is exothermic, which indicates that Ru could act as an active site to increase the oxygen atom species on SnO₂(1 1 0) surface. Our present study reveals that the Ru dopant on surface is playing both electronic and chemical role in promoting the SnO₂ gas-sensing property.     

The surface properties and the activities in catalytic wet air oxidation over CeO2-TiO2 catalysts

No-noble metal CeO₂-TiO₂ catalysts prepared by sol-gel method were developed and examined for catalytic wet air oxidation (CWAO) of acetic acid. The structure of the catalysts was measured by BET, SEM, XRD, XPS and DTA-TG. We investigated the effect of the interactions of Ce and Ti on the structure of CeO₂-TiO₂ catalysts. The mechanisms of the relationships between the different content of Ti and the activity of CeO₂-TiO₂ catalysts were discussed. The results showed that the average crystal size of CeO₂ decreased and the surface areas increased; the low valence of Ce³⁺ increase, and the chemisorbed oxygen slightly decreased with the increase of Ti content on the surface of CeO₂-TiO₂ catalysts. The order of the activity in CWAO of acetic acid followed: Ce/Ti 1/1 > Ce/Ti 3/1 > Ce/Ti 1/3 > Ce/Ti 5/1 > CeO₂ > TiO₂ > no catalyst. In CWAO of acetic acid, the optimal atomic ratio of Ce and Ti was 1, and the highest COD removal was over 64% at 230 °C, 5 MPa and 180 min reaction time over Ce/Ti 1/1 catalyst. The excellent activity and stability of CeO₂-TiO₂ catalysts was observed in our study.     

Effect of hydrothermal treatment on the acidity distribution of γ-Al2O3 support

The influence of hydrothermal treatment on the total acidity and the acidity distribution of γ-Al₂O₃ were studied in this paper. The experimental results indicated that the hydrothermal treatment of γ-Al₂O₃ at moderate condition (140 °C, 1.0-24.0 h) led to the formation of the plate-like γ-AlOOH crystallites with different morphologies, which resulted in the change of the surface acidity of the corresponding γ-Al₂O₃ supports. The increase of the reaction time in the period of 1.0-2.0 h led to the increase of the specific surface area, the surface OH, the total acidity and the ratio of the weak acidity in the acidity distribution of γ-Al₂O₃. The further prolongation of reaction time caused the overgrowth of γ-AlOOH crystallites, leading to the decrease of the specific surface area, the surface OH and the total acidity of the corresponding γ-Al₂O₃.