Enhanced stability of Pt/Al_(2)O_(3) modified by Zn promoter for catalytic dehydrogenation of ethane

Catalytic ethane dehydrogenation(EDH) to ethylene over Pt-based catalysts has received increasing interests in recent years as it is a potential alternative route to conventional steam cracking. However, the catalysts used in this reaction often suffer from rapid deactivation due to serious coke deposition and metal sintering. Herein, we reported the effects of Zn modification on the stability of Pt/Al2 O3 for EDH.The Zn-modified sample(PtZn2/Al2 O3) exhibits stable ethane conversion(20%) with over 95% ethylene selectivity. More importantly, it exhibits a significantly low deactivation rate of only 0.003 h-1 at 600 °C for70 h, which surpasses most of previously reported catalysts. Detailed characterizations including in situ FT-IR, ethylene adsorption microcalorimetry, and HAADF-STEM etc. reveal that Zn modifier reduces the number of Lewis acid sites on the catalyst surface. Moreover, it could modify Pt sites and preferentially cover the step sites, which decrease surface energy and retard the sintering of Pt particle, then prohibiting the further dehydrogenation of ethylene to ethylidyne. Consequently, the good stability is realized due to anti-sintering and the decrease of coke formation on the Pt Zn2/Al2 O3 catalyst.

Highly efficient subnanometer Ru-based catalyst for ammonia synthesis via an associative mechanism

The industrial manufacture of ammonia(NH_(3))using Fe-based catalyst works under rigorous conditions.For the goal of carbon-neutrality,it is highly desired to develop advanced catalyst for NH_(3)synthesis at mild conditions to reduce energy consumption and CO_(2)emissions.However,the main challenge of NH_(3)synthesis at mild conditions lies in the dissociation of steady N≡N triple bond.In this work,we report the design of subnanometer Ru clusters(0.8 nm)anchored on the hollow N-doped carbon spheres catalyst(Ru-SNCs),which effectively promotes the NH_(3)synthesis at mild conditions via an associative route.The NH_(3)synthesis rate over Ru-SNCs(0.49%(mass)Ru)reaches up to 11.7 mmol NH_(3)·(g cat)^(-1)·h^(-1) at 400℃ and 3 MPa,which is superior to that of 8.3 mmol NH_(3)·(g cat)^(-1)·h^(-1) over Ru nanoparticle catalyst(1.20%(mass)Ru).Various characterizations show that the N_(2)H_(4)species are the main intermediates for NH_(3)synthesis on Ru-SNCs catalyst.It demonstrates that Ru-SNCs catalyst can follow an associative route for N_(2)activation,which circumvents the direct dissociation of N_(2)and results in highly efficient NH_(3)synthesis at mild conditions.

Challenges and prospects in artificial nitrogen cycle for energy decarbonization

Fossil fuels still dominate global energy structure in our modern society,and have led to massive CO_(2) emissions.Recently,ammonia has been regarded as a clean energy carrier toward diminishing or even eliminating the CO_(2) emissions and has received significant attention.The ammonia can be synthesized from atmospheric dinitrogen and green hydrogen from water electrolysis by renewable energies,and converted back into dinitrogen and water for energy release,as shown in Figure 1.Benefited from the matured ammonia manufacture and transportation throughout the world for over one century,the already existing high-capacity infrastructure helps efficient storage and redistribution of ammonia with lowest economic cost.However,although considerable progress has been made in this artificial nitrogen cycle,there are still many challenges in developing highly-efficient routes and catalysts.Herein,we evaluate the current catalytic routes of ammonia synthesis(including thermocatalytic synthesis,electrocatalytic synthesis and photocatalytic synthesis)and ammonia utilization(involving ammonia decomposition,direct ammonia fuel cells and ammonia combustion).We also discuss the key issue in each process,and anticipate that our viewpoints and opinions could facilitate the developments of artificial nitrogen cycle and energy decarbonization.

Review on catalytic roles of rare earth elements in ammonia synthesis:Development and perspective

Ammonia(NH3)is mainly produced via the Haber-Bosch process.It was discovered that the performance of a wide variety of catalysts in NH3 synthesis could be considerably enhanced by the addition of rare earth elements(REEs).As a result,catalysts promoted by REEs,especially the Ru-based ones have been extensively investigated.In this review,we summarize the progress of utilizing REEs for ammonia synthesis and outline the prospects of using them in the design and development of highly efficient and stable catalysts for ammonia synthesis.

Boosting Efficient Ammonia Synthesis over Atomically Dispersed Co-Based Catalyst via the Modulation of Geometric and Electronic Structures

Ammonia(NH_(3))synthesis at mild conditions is of great significance,while the significant bottleneck of this process is the activation of N_(2) to realize the desired NH_(3) synthesis performance,which requires deep insight and rational design of active sites at the atomic level.Here,were synthesized atomically dispersed Co-based catalysts with different Co-N coordination numbers(CNs)to explore the coordination-sensitive NH_(3) synthesis reaction for the first time.Our studies showed that Co-based catalysts increased the NH_(3) synthesis rate gradually with a decrease in CN.The Co-N_(2) catalyst exhibited the highest NH_(3) synthesis rate of 85.3 mmol gCo^(−1) h^(−1) at 300℃ and 1 MPa,which outperformed most of the previously reported Co-based catalysts.Various characterizations and theoretical calculations demonstrated that atomically dispersed Co catalyst with low CN could generate more unoccupied Co 3d charges and tetrahedral cobalt(Ⅱ)sites.The unoccupied Co 3d charge,in turn,promoted the electron donation from the Co active center to the antibonding π-orbital(π*)of N_(2) and expedites N_(2) hydrogenation.Furthermore,the Co-N_(2) catalyst with more tetrahedral cobalt(II)sites could effectively facilitate the desorption of N-containing intermediate species(such as*NH_(3) and*N_(2)H_(4))to obtain a high NH_(3) synthesis rate.

Effects of cerium and tungsten addition on acid-base properties of spindle-likeα-Fe_(2)O_(3)in low-temperature SCR of NO_(x)with NH_(3)

Low-temperature selective catalytic reduction(SCR)is important for the elimination of NOfrom stationary sources.In the present study,the loading of Ce and W onα-Fe_(2)O_(3)was achieved through the integration of single-mode microwave and incipient wetness impregnation(IWI)methods.The scanning electron microscopy(SEM)and transmission electron microscopy(TEM)images reveal that the structure ofα-Fe_(2)O_(3)is spindle-like,and the structure remains unchanged after the introduction of Ce and/or W.The results of NH-SCR investigation demonstrate that NOconversion over Ce-W/α-Fe_(2)O_(3)is more than85%at 300℃,which is much higher than that over Ce/a-Fe_(2)O_(3)andα-Fe_(2)O_(3),Our studies illustrate that the addition of Ce can significantly increase the amount of surface oxygen vacancies as well as sites of moderate basicity.On the other hand,the addition of W can obviously decrease the amount of basic sites and increase the number of Br?nsted acid sites.The synergistic effect of Ce and W addition on balancing acidity/basicity properties accounts for the high activity of CeW/α-Fe_(2)O_(3)for NOremoval at low temperatures.The study provides insight into the relationship between acidity/basicity properties and catalytic performance of Ce-W/α-Fe_(2)O_(3)catalysts,which is beneficial to the design of high-performance NH-SCR catalyst for NOremoval at low temperatures.