Electrochemical promotion of catalyst surfaces deposited on ionic and mixed conductors

The effect of non-Faradaic electrochemical modification of catalytic activity (NEMCA) or electrochemical promotion (EP) was investigated on Pt films deposited on Y₂O₃-stabilized-ZrO₂ (YSZ), an O²⁻ conductor, TiO₂, a mixed conductor, and Nafion 117 solid polymer electrolyte (SPE), a H⁺ conductor and also on Pd films deposited on YSZ and β″-Al₂O₃ a Na⁺ conductor. Four catalytic systems were investigated, i.e. C₂H₆ oxidation on Pt/YSZ, C₂H₄ oxidation on Pd/YSZ and Pd/β″-Al₂O₃, C₂H₄ oxidation on Pt/TiO₂ and H₂ oxidation on Pt/Nafion 117 in contact with 0.1 M aqueous KOH solution. In all cases pronounced and reversible non-Faradaic electrochemical modification of catalytic rates was observed with catalytic rate enhancement up to 2000% and Faradaic efficiency values up to 5000. All reactions investigated exhibit a pronounced electrophobic behaviour which is due to the weakening of chemisorptive oxygen bond at high catalyst potentials. Ethane oxidation, however, also exhibits electrophilic behaviour at low potentials due to weakened binding of carbonaceous species on the surface. The general features of the phenomenon are similar for all four cases presented here showing that the NEMCA effect is a general, electrochemically induced, promoting catalytic phenomenon not depending on the reaction and the type of supporting electrolyte. Paper presented at the 2nd Euroconference on Solid State Ionics, Funchal, Madeira, Portugal, Sept. 10–16, 1995     

Copper molybdate synthesized by sonochemistry route at room temperature as an efficient solid catalyst for esterification of oleic acid

Copper molybdate nanoplates were synthesized by a sonochemical process at room temperature, which we report as a simple and cost-effective route. Structural analysis of the material by the Rietveld method of X-ray diffraction (XRD) data revealed lindgrenite Cu₃(MoO₄)₂(OH)₂ in a single-phase structure. All the vibrational modes characteristic of the space group were identified by Raman vibrational and near-infrared (NIR) spectroscopies. The profile obtained for N₂ adsorption/desorption was type III hysteresis, characteristic of mesoporous materials, with a surface area of 70.77(1) m² g⁻¹. The micrographs of the material obtained by scanning electron microscopy showed nanoplates with nanometric sizes and an anisotropic growth aspect. The catalytic activity of lindgrenite was evaluated by esterifying oleic acid with methanol, showing high conversion rate to methyl oleate and good catalyst stability after seven recycling cycles. Above all, the best catalytic performance was reached when we optimized parameters such as oleic acid:methanol molar ratio of 1:5, 5% of catalyst dosage, and reaction time of 5 h, resulting in 98.38% of conversion at 413 K. Therefore, sonochemically synthesized lindgrenite proved to be a high potential material for biofuel production by oleic acid esterification.     

Superacid Catalyst SO42-/ZrO2-La2O3 Prepared by Ultrasonic Co-precipitation and Low Temperature Aging

低温陈化超声波共沉淀法制得SO₄^2-/ZrO^2-La₂O₃前驱体, 经H₂SO₄处理, 在不同温度下焙烧得到纳米晶催化剂SO₄^2-/ZrO^2-La₂O₃;用Hammett指示剂法测定其酸性. 用XRD、BET、TEM、IR和XPS对样品进行表征,其催化活性用醋酸和甘油的酯化反应进行了评价. 结果表明经超声波搅拌和低温(-15 ºC)陈化,650 ºC焙烧4 h得到的固体超强酸表现出较高催化活性.     

Effect of sulphuric–nitric acid mixture composition on surface chemistry and structural evolution of liquid‐phase oxidised carbon nanotubes

Liquid phase functionalisation of carbon nanotubes is carried out via a H₂SO₄ + HNO₃ mixture, and the effect of the sulphuric to nitric acid volume ratio (1:3–3:1) is systematically investigated by means of complementary techniques, observing the expected progressive downgrade of the crystalline quality, along with the increase of oxygenated functionality concentration. In addition, in contrast with common expectations, the results obtained demonstrate that the concentration of carboxylic groups (acids and anhydrides) never exceeds that of all other functionalities (lactones, phenols, quinones/carbonyls and sulphonic groups) introduced by chemical oxidation. Only by using equal volumes of sulphuric and nitric acids the concentrations of carboxylic and non‐carboxylic groups become comparable. Raman analysis reveals that a change in the sample homogeneity accompanies the variations of the relative proportions of the various oxygenated groups, by the typology of which the vibration modes of carbon pairs and carbon rings appear to be affected to different extents. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Physico-chemical investigations on selected gallium doped lanthanum chromites

Investigations on lanthanum gallium chromium mixed oxides of the compositions La_1.0Ga_0.2Cr_0.8O_3−d and La_0.9Ga_0.2Cr_0.8O_3-d are presented regarding their structure, redox stability, conductivity and catalytic activity for the oxidation of propene. The mixed oxide has perovskite-type structure, high redox stability, an electronic p-type conductivity and low catalytic activity. If the perovskite-type compound has a deficiency of lanthanum, the electronic conductivity, surface area and catalytic activity are significantly higher. The catalytic activity is likely comparable to that of gold. Similar to gold electrodes of solid electrolytes, oxygen electrodes formed with gallium doped lanthanum chromite show a relatively high sensitivity to hydrocarbons such as propene at temperatures of about 700 °C. The mixed oxide is possibly suitable as electrode material for exhaust gas sensors using oxide-ion conducting solid electrolytes. Paper presented at the 5th Euroconference on Solid State Ionics, Benalmádena, Spain, September 13–20, 1998.     

Zirconia supported 12-molybdophosphoric acid: Physico-chemical characterization and non-solvent liquid phase oxidation of styrene

A series of solid catalysts comprising 12-molybdophosphoric acid (PM) and hydrous zirconia (Z) have been synthesized by wet impregnation and characterized by various physico-chemical techniques. The structure of PM onto the surface of the support has been confirmed by ³¹P MAS NMR and XPS. Non-solvent liquid phase oxidation of styrene has been carried out with 30% aqueous H₂O₂ as an oxidant by varying different parameters over fresh catalysts. The catalytic activity of calcinated catalysts has also been evaluated by carrying out same oxidation reaction under optimized conditions. As solid catalysts, they show high conversion of styrene with good selectivity towards benzaldehyde and styrene epoxide.     

Microwave solid synthesis and electrical properties of Aurivillius-type oxide-ion conductor

A new oxide-ion conductor of Aurivillius-type structure, namely BISRVOX (Bi₂Sr_xV_1−xO_{5.5-(3x/2)-δ}, 0≤x≤0.20), was successively synthesized by the microwave-assisted solid state reaction. 25 min of microwave irradiation was found to be quite sufficient to ensure the completion of reaction. Powder X-ray diffraction and differential thermal analysis showed better structural properties for the microwave-prepared samples compared to those obtained from the conventional solid synthesis route. Interestingly, the highly conducting γ-phase was effectively stabilized for x≥0.10. AC impedance spectroscopy evidenced the superiority of the microwave heating over conventional solid synthesis routes in exhibiting high oxide-ion performance.     

Modification of Wood Flour Surfaces by Esterification with Acid Chlorides: Use in HDPE/Wood Flour Composites

Modification of wood fiber/flour (WF) surfaces can improve their compatibility with hydrophobic plastic matrices and reduce composite water uptake. WF was esterified with octanoyl chloride and palmitoyl chloride. Modified WF was analyzed by FT-IR. More extensive esterification occurred in highly polar dimethylformamide (DMF) than in much less polar CHCl₃ or methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE). DMF penetrates into the fiber far more than CHCl₃ or MTBE, making more –OH groups available for esterification. Increasing the acid chloride chain length from C₈ to C₁₆ decreased the mole fraction of esterification. Longer chains cover surface –OH groups, retarding reactions with nearby hydroxyls after esterification. Longer chain acid chlorides also have lower reactivity and penetrate into the hydrophilic wood fiber more slowly. Modified wood flour surfaces were covered by a hydrophobic layer of ester groups (SEM). Modified wood flour surfaces and WF/HDPE composite fracture surfaces were studied by SEM. C₈-modified wood flour (60 wt%)/HDPE composites exhibited far less water absorption after 24 h and 216 h immersions compared with unmodified WF (60 wt%)/HDPE composites. Water absorption continues over the 216 h period. Esterified WF/HDPE composites exhibited lower flexural strengths and moduli. In contrast to C₈-esterification, the addition of maleated polypropylene (MAPP) to WF/HDPE composites improved composite mechanical performance and gave similar water absorption properties to C₈-esterified WF composites.     

Synthesis and Application of Water-Soluble Oxazine Dyes for Detection of PHAs-Producing Bacteria

Derivatives of oxazine dyes were synthesized on mulitigram scales via efficient synthetic strategies. One practical route was selected to prepare compounds 6, 9 and 10, especially water-soluble compound 6 was obtained in better yield than reported, and compound 10 was insoluble in aqueous media in absence of phenolic-OH. Compounds 3 and 9 were found to be clear pH-dependent between pH?=?4.0 and 10.0, and could be used as acid-base indicators to measure intracellular pH. Compounds 6, 9, 10 all have carboxylic acid functionalities, which could be activated and used to conjugate the dyes to biomolecules. In addition, compounds 6 and 9 with good solubility in aqueous media were used to develop a simple, quick, safe, highly sensitive staining method to detect PHAs-producing bacteria on heat-fixed smears, which was confirmed by fluorescence images of PHAs granules of bacteria.     

The quest for a better system for evaluating pi‐electron substituent constant: a comparison of benzoic,acrylic and tria‐, penta‐, heptafulvene‐based carboxylic acids. A computational study

Carboxylic acids based on exo‐substituted tria‐, penta‐, heptafulvenes and ethylene (acrylic acids) were examined in order to determine if they are more sensitive to the substituent effect than benzoic acid – the system originally employed by Hammett. In order to accomplish this task, all possible structural isomers of benzoic acid, tria‐, penta‐ and heptafulvene‐based carboxylic acids, acrylic and methacrylic acids substituted by 13 substiuents (BH₂, CHO, CN, COCN, NO₂, CF₃, Me, Cl, F, OH, OMe, NH₂ and NMe₂) were optimized at the B3LYP/6‐311++G(d,p) level of theory, and Gibbs free energies of carboxylic group dissociation (ΔG_dis) were calculated. These energies were subsequently intercorrelated, and from the slopes of linear regressions, it was estimated which system is associated with greatest changes of ΔG_dis due to substitution and thus is most sensitive to the substituent effect. It was found that all fulvene‐based carboxylic acids have greater range of ΔG_dis change than benzoic acid, but the largest range of change was observed in the case of acrylic and methacrylic acids. The acrylic acid as the most sensitive system to substitution could replace benzoic acid for an improved version of substituent constant used to measure pi‐electron substituent effect. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Special features of ethylene epoxidation by peroxyacetic acid

The B3LYP/6-31G(d, p) method of density functional theory was used to study the influence of carboxylic acid and water molecules on parallel ethylene oxidation reactions (epoxidation and hydroxylation) by peroxyacetic acid with the formation of various products. It was shown that carboxylic acid in the nondissociated form always present in the reaction mixture for several reasons had a catalytic action on this reaction and therefore contributed to an increase in its selectivity. We also found that the water molecule and its dimer facilitated epoxide formation. The suggestion was made that, if the reaction was performed in an aqueous medium, where the acid dissociated, the situation could radically change, and the hydroxylation reaction with the formation of glycol and/or its ester of the corresponding carboxylic acid would become predominant.     

纳米多孔离子液体复合材料的合成及其在酯化反应中的应用

以溴化1-丁基-3-甲基咪唑离子液体和磷钨杂多酸(H₃PW₁₂O₄₀)为原料制备了杂多酸功能化离子液体复合材料催化剂(bmim-PW12),并用于催化乙酸与正丁醇酯化合成乙酸正丁酯的反应,考察了bmim-PW12不同热处理温度对其结构以及催化酯化反应活性的影响．结果表明,bmim-PW12在500 oC热处理时杂多酸 阴离子仍保持Keggin结构,但有机阳离子在350 oC以上发生了部分分解．bmim-PW12在400 oC热处理具有纳米多孔结构和较大的酸强度,且在丁醇与乙酸酯化合成乙酸丁酯反应中,具有较高的催化活性和较好的重复使用性能.     

Three-electrode solid-state fuel cell for evaluating working electrodes

Development of a commercial solid-state fuel cell depends on identification of suitable catalytic electrodes to replace platinum. A three-electrode test cell for electrode evaluation is reported. The solid protonic electrolyte used was dodecamolybdophosphoric acid, H₃Mo₁₂PO₄₀·29H₂O, and a thin platinum wire inserted into the electrolyte served as the third electrode. Reproducibility and insensitivity to third-electrode position were demonstrated. The third electrode measures separately the anode and cathode interfacial resistances, thus providing a direct measure of the relative catalytic activity of a given test electrode. Application of the technique is illustrated.     

合成Pb(OH)2/rGO催化剂用于催化转化糖为乳酸

Pb²⁺离子可以作为高效的催化剂用于降解糖为乳酸, 但是为了降低暴露Pb²⁺离子于环境中的风险,最好的办法是把铅固定在一个固体催化剂上．报道了一个简单的制备Pb(PbO₂)/石墨烯复合固体催化剂的方法,可以得到石墨烯负载的纳米铅催化剂,铅颗粒的尺寸在2～5 nm．获得的催化剂可以在水中用于降解葡萄糖、果糖甚至纤维素,产物主要为乳酸．对于果糖、乳酸的产率为58.7% (433 K,2.5 MPa N₂);当直接使用纤维素为原料,无额外酸、碱催化剂时,乳酸的产率可以达到31.7%.     

Sulfonated reduced graphene oxide as a highly efficient catalyst for direct amidation of carboxylic acids with amines using ultrasonic irradiation

Sulfonated reduced graphene oxide nanosheets (rGO-SO₃H) were prepared by grafting sulfonic acid-containing aryl radicals onto chemically reduced graphene oxide (rGO) under sonochemical conditions. rGO-SO₃H catalyst was characterized by Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). rGO-SO₃H catalyst was successfully applied as a reusable solid acid catalyst for the direct amidation of carboxylic acids with amines into the corresponding amides under ultrasonic irradiation. The direct sonochemical amidation of carboxylic acid takes place under mild conditions affording in good to high yields (56–95%) the corresponding amides in short reaction times.     

Theoretical and experimental investigations on the structures of purified clay and acid-activated clay

The purified and acidified montmorillonite clay were characterized by XRD, BET and TPD. These results show that acidified clay is provided with more surface area and acid sites. For NH₃-TPD, molecular NH₃ desorption on purified clay and acidified clay occurs at temperatures with 873 and 1000 K, respectively. It is shown for the existence for strong acid sites. By two reactions of the tetrahydropyranylation of n-propanol and the esterification of cyclo-2-pentene with acetic acid, it is shown that the acidified clay displays better catalytic activity for above two organic reactions. By density-functional theory (DFT) method, we have analyzed the structures of different substituted montmorillonite and the effect sorption behavior of Na⁺ in different montmorillonite models. The result shows that the process of substitution will occur apart from octahedral aluminums. The adsorption of NH₃ on clay surfaces have been investigated using TPD and DFT. This is shown that acid sites locate at round the octahedral aluminums, and substitution of Al³⁺ for tetrahedral Si will be favorable to NH₃ adsorption.     

陈化温度和Fe/Zr配比对SO42-/Fe2O3-ZrO2固体超强酸结构与性能的影响

用低温陈化法制备了SO42 -/Fe2 O3 ZrO2 (简称SFZ)固体超强酸催化剂 ,用红外光谱 (IR)和X光衍射(XRD)对其结构进行了表征 ,并考察了它对合成癸二酸二正丁酯的催化性能 .IR谱显示 ,低温陈化的SFZ样品在10 70cm-1处吸收峰远强于常温陈化样品 .XRD分析则显示 ,在焙烧温度为 6 5 0℃、Fe/Zr为 2∶1时 ,低温陈化的样品出现了亚稳态的ZrO2 四方晶相 .该样品在催化酯化反应中使产率达 90 %以上 ,高于常温陈化样品的 30 % .研究结果表明 :在其他条件不变时 ,低温陈化所出现的亚稳态的ZrO2 四方晶相是表面酸性和催化活性增加的微观原因     

Dependence of NMR isotropic shift averages and nuclear shielding tensors on the internal rotation of the functional group X about the C-X bond in seven simple vinylic derivatives H2C=CH-X

The ‘Gauge Including Atomic Orbitals’ (GIAO) approach is used to investigate the question of intramolecular rotation. Ab initio GIAO calculations of NMR chemical shielding tensors carried out with GAUSSIAN 94 within the SCF-Hartree-Fock approximation are described. In order to compare the calculated chemical shifts with experimental ones, it is important to use consistent nuclear shieldings for NMR reference compounds like TMS. The influence of rotating functional groups X=CH₃, CHO, NO₂, NH₂, CONH₂, COOH or C₆H₅ on the shielding tensors in seven vinylic derivatives H₂C=CH-X is studied; the molecules are propene, acrolein, nitroethylene, ethyleneamine, acrylamide, acrylic acid and styrene. We observe a marked dependence of nuclear shielding and chemical shift on the torsional movement. Different Boltzmann averages over the conformational states are considered and compared for gas phase, liquid and solid state NMR. Their applicability to model cases for rigid or freely rotating molecules and for fixed molecules (e.g. polymers or proteins) with rapidly rotating groups is discussed and simple calculation models are presented. On the basis of this work it can be concluded that intramolecular rotation clearly affects the observed averages. Effects of up to 2 ppm have been observed for isotropic chemical shifts, and up to 17 ppm difference have been observed for individual tensor components, for example, of the carboxylic ¹³C atom in acrylic acid. The variation of the shielding tensor on a nucleus in a fixed molecular backbone resulting from an attached rotating group furthermore leads to a new relaxation mechanism by chemical shift anisotropy.     

Improving the electrical catalytic activity of Pt/TiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> nanocomposites by a combination of electrospinning and microwave irradiation

One of the greatest challenges in preparing TiO₂-based oxygen electrodes for PEM fuel cells is increasing the electrical catalytic activity of Pt nanoparticle/TiO₂ composites by improving the dispersion of Pt. This article describes a new way for improving the dispersion of Pt nanoparticles by depositing them on TiO₂ fibers and using microwave irradiation. The Pt nanoparticles used in this experiment is about 5 nm in diameter and the diameter of TiO₂ fibers could be controlled ranging from 30 to 60 nm and Pt nanoparticles still keep their size when the deposition amount is increased on the surface of TiO₂ fibers. The Pt nanoparticles were highly dispersed without agglomeration even at a weight percentage of composites as high as 40%. The position of Pt nanoparticles located in the fiber and the composition of Pt/TiO₂, which had great influence on the electric conductivity and electrical catalytic activity of the composite, could be easily controlled.     

Characterization and catalytic performance of pure and Li2O-doped CuO/CeO2 catalysts

Pure and Li₂O-doped CuO/CeO₂ catalysts calcined at 500 °C were prepared by impregnation method. The catalysts are characterized by DTA, TG-DTG, XRD, IR, TEM, nitrogen adsorption at −196 °C and the catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide at 30 °C.The effects of molar ratio, heat treatment time and the doping on the structural, surface and catalytic properties of nanocrystalline Cu/Ce-mixed oxides system have been studied. It was found that the catalytic activity of ceria-supported copper oxide catalysts increased by increasing both the heat treatment time and dopant content. However, the pure Cu/Ce-mixed oxide solids containing 10 wt.% CuO exhibited the best performance. The characterization results indicated that the higher surface area, the formation of solid solution between copper and cerium oxides, and the high dispersion of copper species on the ceria were responsible for the high catalytic activity of the CuO/CeO₂ catalysts.