Surface active sites present in the orthorhombic M1 phases: low energy ion scattering study of methanol and allyl alcohol chemisorption over Mo–V–Te–Nb–O and Mo–V–O catalysts

The outermost surface compositions and chemical nature of active surface sites present on the orthorhombic (M1) Mo–V–O and Mo–V–Te–Nb–O phases were determined employing methanol and allyl alcohol chemisorption and surface reaction in combination with low energy ion scattering (LEIS). These orthorhombic phases exhibited vastly different behavior in propane (amm)oxidation reactions and, therefore, represented highly promising model systems for the study of the surface active sites. The LEIS data for the Mo–V–Te–Nb–O catalyst indicated surface depletion for V (−23%) and Mo (−27%), and enrichments for Nb (+55%) and Te (+165%) with respect to its bulk composition. Only minor changes in the topmost surface composition were observed for this catalyst under the conditions of the LEIS experiments at 400 °C, which is a typical temperature employed in these propane transformation reactions. These findings strongly suggested that the bulk orthorhombic Mo–V–Te–Nb–O structure is terminated by a unique active and selective surface layer in propane (amm)oxidation. Moreover, direct evidence was obtained that the topmost surface VO _x sites in the orthorhombic Mo–V–Te–Nb–O catalyst were preferentially covered by chemisorbed allyloxy species, whereas methanol was a significantly less discriminating probe molecule. The surface TeO _x and NbO _x sites on the Mo–V–Te–Nb–O catalyst were unable to chemisorb these probe molecules to the same extent as the VO _x and MoO _x sites. These findings suggested that vastly different catalytic behavior exhibited by the Mo–V–O and Mo–V–Te–Nb–O phases is related to different surface locations of V⁵⁺ ions in the orthorhombic Mo–V–O and Mo–V–Te–Nb–O catalysts. Although the proposed isolated V⁵⁺ pentagonal bipyramidal sites in the orthorhombic Mo–V–O phase may be capable of converting propane to propylene with modest selectivity, the selective 8-electron transformation of propane to acrylic acid and acrylonitrile may require the presence of several surface VO _x redox sites lining the entrances to the hexagonal and heptagonal channels of the orthorhombic Mo–V–Te–Nb–O phase. Finally, the present study strongly indicated that chemical probe chemisorption combined with low energy ion scattering (LEIS) is a novel and highly promising surface characterization technique for the investigation of the active surface sites present in the bulk mixed metal oxides.     

Preparation of MoO3/TiO2 Catalysts with Eggshell and Uniform Mo Distribution by Water-Assisted Spreading of MoO3

MoO₃/TiO₂ catalysts were prepared by reaction of TiO₂ extrudates (140 m²g⁻¹) with a MoO₃/H₂O slurry. The adsorption of molybdena species was strong; sharp, deep eggshell profiles of the Mo concentration were obtained. The hydrodesulfurization activity of saturated catalysts with a uniform Mo distribution (about 10 wt.% MoO₃) was at least the same as that of a sample prepared by conventional impregnation.     

Methanol interaction with NO2: An attempt to identify intermediate compounds in CH4-SCR of NO with Co/Pd-HFER catalyst

The objective of this work is the study of fundamental common aspects of NO_x catalytic reduction over a Co/Pd-HFER zeolite catalyst, using methanol or methane as reducing agent. Temperature Programmed Surface Reaction (TPSR) studies were performed with reactant mixtures comprising NO₂ and one of the reducing agents.The formation of formaldehyde was detected in both studied reactions (NO₂–CH₄ and NO₂–CH₃OH) in the temperature range between 100 and 220 °C. At higher temperature, when the NO_x reduction process effectively begins, formaldehyde starts to be consumed.Using methanol as reducing agent, nitromethane and nitrosomethane, are detected. At 300 °C these species are consumed and cyanides and iso-cyanides formation occurs. On the contrary, with methane, these last species were not detected; however, there are strong evidences for CH₃NO and CH₃NO₂ formation.Thus, using methanol or methane, similar phenomena were detected. In both cases, common intermediary species seem to play an important role in the NO_x reduction process to N₂.These results suggest that methanol can be considered as a reaction intermediate species in the mechanism of the reduction of NO₂ with methane, over cobalt/palladium-based ferrierite catalysts.     

NO reduction over La2O3 using methanol

Nitric oxide (NO) reduction by methanol was studied over La₂O₃ in the presence and absence of oxygen. In the absence of O₂, CH₃OH reduced NO to both N₂O and N₂, with selectivity to dinitrogen formation decreasing from around 85% at 623 K to 50–70% at 723 K. With 1% O₂ in the feed, rates were 4–8 times higher, but the selectivity to N₂ dropped from 50% at 623 K to 10% at 723 K. The specific activities with La₂O₃ for this reaction were higher than those for other reductants; for example, at 773 K with hydrogen a specific activity of 35 _μmol NO/s m² was obtained whereas that for methanol was 600 μmol NO/s m². The Arrhenius plots were linear under differential reaction conditions, and the apparent activation energy was consistently near 14 kcal/mol with CH₃OH. Linear partial pressure dependencies based on a power rate law were obtained and showed a near‐zero order in CH₃OH and a near‐first order in H₂. In the absence of O₂, a Langmuir–Hinshelwood type model assuming a surface reaction between adsorbed CH₃OH and adsorbed NO as the slow step satisfactorily fitted the data, and the model invoking two types of sites provided the best fit and gave thermodynamically consistent rate constants. In the presence of O₂ a homogeneous gas‐phase reaction between O₂, NO, and CH₃OH occurred to yield methyl nitrite. This reaction converted more than 30% of the methanol at 300 K and continued to occur up to temperatures where methanol was fully oxidized. Quantitative kinetic studies of the heterogeneous reaction with O₂ present were significantly complicated by this homogeneous reaction. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

NO reduction by CH4over La2O3: temperature‐programmed reaction and in situ DRIFTS studies

The chemistry between NO _x species adsorbed on La₂O₃ and CH₄ was probed by temperature‐programmed reaction (TPR) as well as in situ DRIFTS. During NO reduction by CH₄ in the presence of O₂, NO ₃ ^- does not appear to activate CH₄, thus either an adsorbed O species or an NO ₂ ^- species is more likely to activate CH₄. In the absence of O₂, a different reaction pathway occurs and NO^- or (N₂O₂)^2- species adsorbed on oxygen vacancy sites seem to be active intermediates, and during NO reduction with CH₄ unidentate NO ₃ ^- , which desorbs at high temperature, behaves as a spectator species and is not directly involved in the catalytic sequence. Because reaction products such as CO₂ or H₂O as well as adsorbed oxygen cannot be effectively removed from the surface at lower temperatures, steady‐state catalytic reactions can only be achieved at temperatures above 800 K, even though formation of N₂ and N₂O from NO was observed at much lower temperature during the TPR experiments. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Co-decorated carbon nanotube-supported Co–Mo–K sulfide catalyst for higher alcohol synthesis

Using chemical reduction-deposition method, a type of metallic cobalt-decorated multi-walled carbon nanotubes, noted as y%(mass percentage)Co/MWCNTs, was prepared. TEM, SEM and XRD measurements demonstrated that the metallic cobalt was evenly coated on the MWCNT substrate, with granule-diameter of the Co _x ⁰ -crystallites of 5–8 nm. Using the y%Co/MWCNTs as support, a type of supported Co–Mo–K sulfide catalysts, noted as x%(Co _i Mo _j K _k )/(y%Co/MWCNTs), for higher alcohol synthesis (HAS) was developed. It was experimentally shown that using the Co-modified MWCNTs in place of simple MWCNTs or activated carbon (AC) as the catalyst support led to a significant increase in activity of CO hydrogenation conversion and improvement in the selective formation of C₂₊-alcohols. Under the reaction condition of 5.0 MPa, 613 K, CO/H₂/N₂ = 45/45/10 (v/v) and GHSV = 3600 ml_STPh⁻¹ g _−cat. ⁻¹ , the observed STY of C_1–4-alcohols reached 154.1 mgh⁻¹g _−cat. ⁻¹ at 12.6% conversion of CO over the 11.6%(Co₁Mo₁K_0.6)/(6.4%Co/MWCNTs) catalyst, which was 1.76 and 2.33 times as high as that (87.7 and 66.1 mgh⁻¹g _−cat. ⁻¹ ) of the reference systems supported by simple MWCNTs and AC respectively. Ethanol became the predominant product of the CO hydrogenation, with carbon-based selectivity ratio of C_2–4-alcohols to CH₃OH reaching 3.6 in the products. It was experimentally found that using the Co-modified MWCNTs in place of simple MWCNTs or AC as the catalyst support caused little change in the apparent activation energy for the conversion of CO, but led to a slight increase in the molar percentage of catalytically active Mo-species (Mo⁴⁺) in the total Mo-amount at the surface of the functioning catalyst. Based upon the results of TPD investigation, it could be inferred that, under the reaction condition of HAS, there existed a considerably larger amount of adsorbed H-species and CO-species on the functioning catalyst, thus in favour of increasing the rate of a series of surface hydrogenation reactions in HAS.     

Remarkable support effect of ZrO2 upon the CO2 reforming of CH4 over supported molybdenum carbide catalysts

In reforming of CH₄ with CO₂ over molybdenum carbide catalysts, the catalytic performance of unsupported hexagonal Mo₂C prepared by direct carburization of MoO₃ was considerably different from a similar composition, cubic MoC_1−x (x≈0.5), prepared through nitriding before carburization. The conversion levels over MoC_1−x were substantially higher than those over Mo₂C, although the turnover frequencies were lower. X‐ray diffraction analysis indicated that Mo₂C deactivated by conversion to MoO₂ during the reaction, but the MoC_1−x was transformed to the hexagonal Mo₂C and remained stable. The activity of Mo₂C dispersed on various supports for the CH₄–CO₂ reaction was also investigated. The performance depended strongly on the property of supports, with the ZrO₂‐supported Mo₂C catalyst exhibiting the highest activity and durability for this reaction. Moreover, deactivation of Mo₂C/ZrO₂ at ambient pressure was suppressed by decreasing the loading amount of Mo₂C. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Promoting Effect of CeO2 on NO x Reduction with Propene over SnO2/Al2O3 Catalyst Studied with In situ FT-IR Spectroscopy

The mechanistic cause of the promoting effect of CeO₂ on the activity of SnO₂/Al₂O₃ catalyst for the SCR of NO _x by propene was investigated using X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) and in situ Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy. FT-IR measurements have revealed that the role of CeO₂ on the CeO₂–SnO₂/Al₂O₃ catalyst is to contribute to the formation of formate, acetate and nitrate species, and to promote the reaction between nitrates and hydrocarbon-derived species to form isocyanate (–NCO), which is a reaction intermediate for NO _x reduction.     

Spectroscopic evidence for the formation of CHx species in the hydrogenation of carbidic carbon on Ni(100)

The CH _x species formed on Ni(100) by hydrogenation of carbidic carbon have been detected using high resolution electron energy-loss spectroscopy (HREELS). Exposures of carbidic carbon to 1×10^–7 Torr H₂ and D₂ at 313 K for 20 min produce CH _x and CD _x species, respectively. These species are identified by two energy-loss peaks for CH _x at 2970 and 1380 cm^–1 and only one peak for CD _x at 1980 cm^–1. Because of the existence of the intense peak at 1380 cm^–1, in the range of a scissors mode for CH₂ and a symmetric deformation mode for CH₃, the CH _x species are tentatively ascribed to CH₂ and/or CH₃. The CD _x species undergo decomposition at 330–370 K in UHV as well as in hydrogen below 10^–7 Torr. No stable CH _x species are observed above 400 K, which is lower than the normal reaction temperature of the methanation reaction (500 K).     

Ring-opening polymerization of (CH3)2Si[CpMo(CO)3]2, a molecule with an –Si(CH3)2– bridge between two cyclopentadienyl ligands

The (CH₃)₂Si[CpMo(CO)₃]₂ complex (1) was synthesized and used to explore ring-opening polymerization (ROP) as a method to prepare high molecular weight polymers containing Mo–Mo bonds along their backbones. Attempts to initiate ROP of 1 using n-BuLi or PtCl₂ did not yield any polymers. The X-ray crystal structure of 1 shows that the Si center is not strained, and it is suggested that no ROP occurred because 1 is less strained than other organometallic ROP monomers, such as the silicon-bridged ferrocenophanes. Thermal ROP (TROP) of 1 was successful and yielded a polymer (M _w = 210,000 g mol⁻¹) containing both Mo–Mo single bonds and Mo≡Mo triple bonds. When CO_(g) is passed over the polymer in the solid state, the Mo≡Mo triple bonds are converted to Mo–Mo single bonds. Attempts to increase the yield of the TROP polymer by increasing the reaction times led to polymer decomposition. The decomposition is likely caused by the weakness of the Mo–Mo bond, cleavage of which causes the polymer to degrade.     

Effect of CeO2 and La2O3 on the Activity of CeO2−La2O3/Al2O3-Supported Pd Catalysts for Steam Reforming of Methane

The effect of the addition of CeO₂ or La₂O₃ on the surface properties and catalytic behaviors of Al₂O₃-supported Pd catalysts was studied in the steam reforming of methane. The FTIR spectroscopy of adsorbed CO and the Pd dispersion suggest the partial coverage of Pd⁰ by ceria or lanthana species. This could lead to the formation of an adduct MPd _x O (M = Ce or La) at the surface of the metal crystallites. The addition of ceria or lanthana resulted in an increase of the turnover rate and specific rate for steam reforming of methane. One possible explanation if that the Pd⁰*Pd^δ+O–M interfacial species (M = Ce or La) are oxidized by H₂O or CO₂, promoting the O* transfer to the metal surface. This could facilitate the removal of C* species from the metal surface, resulting in the increase of specific reaction rate and increase of the accessibility of CH₄ to metal active sites.     

Hydrotreating of Heavy Gas Oil Derived from Athabasca Bitumen Over Co–Mo/γ-Al2O3 Catalyst Prepared by Sonochemical Method

Co–Mo/γ-Al₂O₃ oxide containing 9.8 wt% Mo and 2.9 wt% Co was prepared by high-intensity ultrasonic irradiation of Mo(CO)₆, Co₂(CO)₈, and γ-Al₂O₃ in decahydronapthalene under air flow. The oxidic Co–Mo catalyst thus formed was characterized by elemental analysis, BET N₂ adsorption and XRD. The surface sites on the sulfided Co–Mo/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst were characterized by infrared spectroscopy of CO adsorption. Hydrodenitrogenation (HDN) and hydrodesulfurization (HDS) activities were evaluated for heavy gas oil derived from Athabasca bitumen in a trickle bed reaction system using the following conditions: temperatures ranging from 370 to 400 °C, a pressure of 8.8 MPa, a liquid hourly space velocity of 1 h⁻¹, and a H₂/feed ratio of 600 ml/ml. The dispersion, nature of active sites and hydrotreating activity of this catalyst were compared with the conventionally prepared Co–Mo/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst containing similar wt% of Mo and Co. The Co–Mo catalyst prepared by sonochemical method has higher HDN and HDS rate constants than the conventional catalyst due to an improved dispersion of MoS₂.     

Low‐temperature oxidation of methane to form formaldehyde: role of Fe and Mo on Fe–Mo/SiO2 catalysts, and their synergistic effects

The partial oxidation of methane with molecular oxygen was performed on Fe–Mo/SiO₂ catalysts. Iron was loaded on the Mo/SiO₂ catalyst by chemical vapor deposition of Fe₃(CO)₁₂. The catalyst showed good low‐temperature activities at 723–823 K. Formaldehyde was a major condensable liquid product on the prepared catalyst. There were synergistic effects between iron and molybdenum in Fe–Mo/SiO₂ catalysts for the production of formaldehyde from the methane partial oxidation. The activation energy of Mo/SiO₂ decreased with the addition of iron and approached that of the Fe/SiO₂. The concentration of isolated molybdenum species (the peak at 1148 K in TPR experiments) decreased as the ion concentration increased and had a linear relationship with the selectivity of methane to formaldehyde. The role of Fe and Mo in the Fe–Mo/SiO₂ catalyst was proposed: Fe is the center for the C–H activation to generate reaction intermediates, and Mo is the one for the transformation of intermediates into formaldehyde. Those phenomena were predominant below 775 K. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Comparative studies on direct conversion of methane to methanol/formaldehyde over La–Co–O and ZrO2 supported molybdenum oxide catalysts

The selective oxidation of methane with molecular oxygen over MoO_x/La–Co–O and MoO_x/ZrO₂ catalysts to methanol/formaldehyde has been investigated in a specially designed high-pressure continuous-flow reactor. The properties of the catalysts, such as crystal phase, structure, reducibility, ion oxidation state, surface composition and the specific surface area have been characterized with the use of XRD, LRS, TPR, XPS and BET methods. MoO_x/La–Co–O catalysts showed high selectivity to methanol formation while MoO_x/ZrO₂ revealed the property for the formation of formaldehyde in the selective oxidation of methane. 7 wt MoO_x/La–Co–O catalyst gave 6.7 methanol yield (ca. 60 methanol selectivity) at 420°C and 4.2 MPa. On the other hand, the maximal yield of formaldehyde ca. 4 (47.8 formaldehyde selectivity) was obtained over 12wt MoO_x/ZrO₂ catalyst at 400 °C and 5.0MPa. 7MoO_x/La–Co–O catalyst showed higher modified H₂-consumption than 12MoO_x/ZrO₂ catalyst. The reducibility and the O^–/O^2– ratio of the catalysts may play important roles on the catalytic performance. The proper reducibility and the O^–/O^2– ratio enhanced the production of methanol in selective oxidation of methane. [MoO₄]^2– species in MoO_x/ZrO₂ catalysts enable selective oxidation of methane to formaldehyde.     

Novel Sn–Ce/Al2O3 Catalyst for the Selective Catalytic Reduction of NOx Under Lean Conditions

Effect of additives, Ce and Mn, on the catalytic performance of Sn/Al₂O₃ catalyst prepared by sol–gel method for the selective reduction of NO_x with propene under lean conditions was studied. Sn–Ce/Al₂O₃ catalysts exhibited higher activity than Sn/Al₂O₃ catalyst and the optimum Ce loading is 0.5–1%. The promoting effect of Ce is to enhance the oxidation of NO to NO₂ and facilitate the activation of propene, both of which are important steps for the NO_x reduction. The presence of oxygen contributes to the oxidation of NO and shows a promoting effect.     

Selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NO by NH3 over TiO2-supported V2O5–WO3 and V2O5–MoO3 catalysts

A comparison between commercial and model WO₃–V₂O₅/TiO₂ and MoO₃–V₂O₅/TiO₂ SCR catalysts is considered in this study. The data indicate that WO₃ and MoO₃ behave as “structural” and “chemical” promoters for the catalysts. MoO₃-based catalysts are more active but less selective than WO₃–V₂O₅/TiO₂ catalysts in the SCR reaction, although in the presence of water the catalytic performances of the investigated samples are comparable. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Steam effect on NO x reduction over lean NO x trap Pt–BaO/Al2O3 model catalyst

The effect of steam on NO _x reduction over lean NO _x trap (LNT) Pt–Ba/Al₂O₃ and Pt/Al₂O₃ model catalysts was investigated with reaction protocols of rich steady-state followed by lean–rich cyclic operations using CO and C₃H₈ as reductants, respectively. Compared to dry atmosphere, steam promoted NO _x reduction; however, under rich conditions the primary reduction product was NH₃. The results of NO _x reduction and NH₃ selectivity versus temperature, combined with temperature programmed reduction of stored NO _x over Pt–BaO/Al₂O₃ suggest that steam causes NH₃ formation over Pt sites via reduction of NO _x by hydrogen that is generated via water gas shift for CO/steam, or via steam reforming for C₃H₈/steam. During the rich mode of lean–rich cyclic operation with lean–rich duration ratio of 60 /20 s, not only the feed NO, but also the stored NO _x contributed to NH₃ formation. The NH₃ formed under these conditions could be effectively trapped by a downstream bed of Co²⁺ exchanged Beta zeolite. When the cyclic operation was switched into lean mode at T < 450 °C, the trapped ammonia in turn participated in additional NO _x reduction, leading to improved NO _x storage efficiency.     

Methanol Partial Oxidation on MoO3/SiO2 Catalysts: Application of Vibrational Spectroscopic Imaging Techniques in a High Throughput Operando Reactor

A home-built, high-throughput operando (HTO) reactor was applied to study methanol partial oxidation reaction over MoO₃/SiO₂ catalysts. This HTO reactor combines Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) imaging and Raman spectroscopy for high throughput catalyst evaluation and simultaneously for catalyst characterization under operando conditions. The catalyst activity and selectivity of all parallel reaction channels were followed at a time resolution of 2–20 s by the FT-IR imaging system that offers a spatial resolution of 16,384 pixels over a 2 × 2 inches illuminated cross-section area. Six specialized Raman probes were used to simultaneously collect Raman spectra of the catalyst surfaces and reaction intermediates under operando conditions. The structural variation of the MoO₃/SiO₂ catalysts with different molybdenum loadings and their catalytic performance at various temperatures were determined. The HTO reactor with the integrated imaging techniques allowed us to track the catalytic activities and the surface morphologies for multiple samples under various operando conditions.     

High surface area MoO3/MgO: preparation by the new slurry impregnation method and activity in sulphided state in hydrodesulphurization of benzothiophene

High surface area MoO₂/MgO was prepared by the reaction of MgO (250–300 m² g⁻¹) with a slurry of ammonium heptamolybdate in methanol or anhydrous ethanol at the alcohol boiling point. The low solubility of ammonium heptamolybdate was sufficient for its gradual transport to the support surface: molybdena species were deposited and ammonia was evolved. Catalytic activities in the hydrodesulphurization of benzothiophene of the MoO₃/MgO samples were comparable to the activity of the reference commercial MoO₃/Al₂O₃ catalyst. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Low-temperature selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3 based on MnOx-CeOx/ACFN

MnO _x -CeO _x /ACFN were prepared by the impregnation method and used as catalyst for selective catalytic reduction of NO with NH3 at 80°C-150°C. The catalyst was characterized by N₂-BET, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). The fraction of the mesopore and the oxygen functional groups on the surface of activated carbon fiber (ACF) increased after the treatment with nitric acid, which was favorable to improve the catalytic activities of MnO _x -CeO _x /ACFN. The experimental results show that the conversion of NO is nearly 100% in the range 100°C-150°C under the optimal preparation conditions of MnO _x -CeO _x /ACFN. In addition, the effects of a series of performance parameters, including initial NH₃ concentration, NO concentration and O₂ concentration, on the conversion of NO were studied. __________ Translated from Chemical Industry and Engineering Progress, 2007, 27(1): 87–91 [译自: 化工进展]