Tailoring the microenvironment of Ti sites in Ti-containing materials for synergizing with Au sites to boost propylene epoxidation

Au sites supported on Ti-containing materials(Au/Ti-containing catalyst)are currently considered as a promising catalyst for the propylene epoxidation owing to the synergistic effect that hydrogen peroxide species formed on Au sites diffuses to the Ti sites to form the Ti-hydroperoxo intermedi-ates and contributes to the formation of propylene oxide(PO).In principle,thermal treatment will significantly affect the chemical and physical structures of Ti-containing materials.Consequently,the synergy between tailored Ti sites with different surface properties and Au sites is highly expected to enhance the catalytic performance for the reaction.Herein,we systematically studied the intrinsic effects of different microenvironments around Ti sites on the PO adsorption/desorption and conversion,and then effectively improved the catalytic performance by tailoring the number of surface hydroxyl groups.The Ti^(Ⅵ) material with fewer hydroxyls stimulates a remarkable enhancement in PO selectivity and H_(2) efficiency compared to the Ti^(Ⅵ) material that possessed more hydroxyls,offering a 7-fold and 4-fold increase,respectively.As expected,the Ti^(Ⅵ+Ⅳ) and Ti^(Ⅳ) materials also exhibit a similar phenomenon to the Ti^(Ⅵ) materials through the same thermal treatment,which strongly supports that the Ti sites microenvironment is an important factor in suppressing PO con-version and enhancing catalytic performance.These insights could provide guidance for the rational preparation and optimization of Ti-containing materials synergizing with Au catalysts for propylene epoxidation.

Structured binder‐free MWW‐type titanosilicate with Si‐rich shell for selective and durable propylene epoxidation

Selective and durable fixed‐bed catalysts are highly desirable for developing eco‐efficient HPPO(hydrogen peroxide propylene oxide)process.The powder titanosilicate catalysts must be shaped before being applied in industrial processes.As the essential additives for preparing formed catalysts,binders are usually the catalytically inert components,but they would cover the surface and pore mouth of zeolite,thereby declining the accessibility of active sites.By recrystallizing the binder(silica)/Ti‐MWW extrudates with the assistance of dual organic structure‐directing agents,the silica binder was converted into MWW zeolite phase to form a structured binder‐free Ti‐MWW zeolite with Si‐rich shell,which enhanced the diffusion efficiency and maintained the mechanical strength.Meanwhile,due to the partial dissolution of Si in the Ti‐MWW matrix,abundant silanol nests formed and part of framework TiO4 species were transferred into open TiO_(6)ones,improving the accumulation and activation ability of H_(2)O_(2)inside the monolith.Successive piperidine treatment and fluoridation of the binder‐free Ti‐MWW further enhanced the H_(2)O_(2)activation and oxygen transfer ability of the active Ti sites,and stabilized the Ti‐OOH intermediate through hydrogen bond formed between the end H in Ti‐OOH and the adjacent Si‐F species,thus achieving a more efficient epoxidation process.Additionally,the side reaction of PO hydrolysis was inhibited because the modification effectively quenched numerous Si‐OH groups.The lifetime of the modified binder‐free Ti‐MWW catalyst was 2400 h with the H_(2)O_(2)conversion and PO selectivity both above 99.5%.

Propylene Epoxidation by Dioxygen over Catalyst Copper-loaded TiO_2

A copper-TiO2 based catalyst（Cu-OH-Cl-TiO2） was prepared through a slurry impregnation approach and the catalyst was found to be active and selective for the epoxidation of propylene by dioxygen. With a feed gas of 10% C3H6, 10% O2 and 80% N2 at a gas hourly space velocity（GHSV） of 4000 h-1, a propylene conversion of 4.8% and a propylene oxide（PO） selectivity of 38.9% were achieved over the obtained Cu-OH-Cl-TiO2 catalyst at a reaction temperature of 500 K. It revealed that Cu2＋ provided by crystalline Cu2（OH）3Cl plays a key role in catalytic conversion of propylene to PO.

Highly Effective Propylene Epoxidation over TS-1/SiO_(2) Hydrothermally Treated

The propylene epoxidation over TS-1/SiO2 catalyst hydrothermally treated was investigated. It was found by EPR characterization that two types of Ti (IV)-superoxide radicals, A (gz=2.0271; gy=2.0074; gx=2.0010) and B (gz=2.0247; gy= 2.0074; gx= 2.0010), were observed for TS-1/SiO2. The superoxo species A converted to B after TS-1/SiO2 catalyst was hydrothermally treated. The results show that over TS-1/SiO2 catalyst hydrothermally treated at 170℃, about 95% conversion of H2O2 with above 94% PO selectivity is obtained during continuous running for 300 h under the conditions of reaction temperature 45℃, 0.5 h-1WHSV of propylene.

Post-treatment of Ti-MWW zeolite with potassium fluoride for propylene epoxidation

Epoxidation of propylene to propylene oxide(PO)with hydrogen peroxide(HPPO)is an environmentally friendly and cost-efficient process in which titanosilicates are used as catalysts.Ti-MWW is a potential industrial catalyst for this process,which involves the addition of HPPO to PO.The silanol groups generated during secondary crystallization unavoidably result in ring-opening of PO and inefficient decomposition of HPPO,which diminish the PO selectivity and the lifespan of Ti-MWW.To address this issue,we conducted post-treatment modifications of the structured Bf-Ti-MWW catalyst with potassium fluoride aqueous solutions.By quenching the silanol groups with potassium fluoride and implanting electron-withdrawing fluoride groups into the Ti-MWW framework,both the catalytic activity and HPPO utilization efficiency were increased.Moreover,the ring opening reaction of PO was prohibited.In a continuous fixed-bed liquid-phase propylene epoxidation reaction,the KF-treated structured Ti-MWW catalyst displayed an exceptionally long lifespan of 2700 h,with a PO yield of 590 g·kg^(-1)·h^(-1).

Au/TS-1 catalyst for propylene epoxidation with H_(2)and O_(2):Effect of surface property and morphology of TS-1 zeolite

The catalytic performances over propylene epoxidation with H_(2)and O_(2)(HOPO process)are significantly affected by the properties(e.g.,surface properties,Ti coordination,morphology)of titanosilicate zeolite.Introducing urea into zeolite synthesis is a simple and convenient method to modify these properties of titanosilicate zeolite.Uncalcined pore-blocked titanium silicalite-1(TS-1,i.e.,TS-1-B)with the lower urea dosage possesses more defective structure and unsaturated coordinated Ti sites verified by 29Si nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)analysis,which results in a high initial activity and hydrogen efficiency;while the high surface acidity generated by these Ti species leads to a continuous decrease in the activity and the propylene oxide(PO)selectivity during the reaction.As the amount of urea gradually increases,the TS-1-B samples present the reduced surface defects and defective and unsaturated Ti species.Specially,TS-1-B-0.30U presents the weaker PO adsorption on PO-diffusion reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectra(DRIFTS),thus results in the high stable PO formation rate and selectivity over its Au catalyst.Furthermore,a flat-plate-like shape with a shorter thickness of 100 nm along the b-axis direction is observed on the urea-modified TS-1.Compared with the conventional ellipsoidal TS-1 with crystal sizes of 200 and 500 nm,the flat-plate-like TS-1-0.30U displays the less surface defects,unsaturated Ti species,the weaker Lewis acid,which is favorable for the desorption and intracrystalline diffusion of PO,thus reduces the occurrence of side reactions for the improved selectivity and stability.This work may provide a reference for developing titanium-containing materials with high activity and stability over HOPO reaction.

Effect of triethylamine treatment of titanium silicalite-1 on propylene epoxidation

Titanium silicalite- 1 （TS- 1） treated with triethy- lamine （TEA） solution under different conditions was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction （XRD）, Fourier- transform infrared spectrum （FTIR）, ultraviolet-visible diffuse reflectance spectrum （UV-Vis）, nitrogen physical adsorption and desorption, scanning electron microscopy （SEM） and transmission electron microscopy （TEM）. The characterization results show that many irregular hollows are generated in the TS-1 crystals due to the random dissolution of framework silicon and the volume of the hollow cavities increase with increasing the TEA con- centration, and the treatment temperature and time. The modified TS-1 samples improved in varying degrees the catalyst life for the epoxidation of propylene in a fixed-bed reactor probably due to the generation of the hollows to make it easy for the reactants and products to diffuse out of the channels.

Direct gas-phase epoxidation of propylene to propylene oxide using air as oxidant on supported gold catalyst

Gold catalysts supported on SiO2, TiO2, TiO2-SiO2, and ZrO2-SiO2 supports were prepared by impregnating each support with a basic solution of tetrachloroauric acid. X-ray diffraction （XRD）, transmission electron microscopy （TEM）, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy （XPS） techniques were used to characterize their structure and surface composition. The results indicated that the size of gold particles could be controlled to below 10 nm by this method of preparation. Washing gold catalysts with water could markedly enhance the dispersion of metallic gold particles on the surface, but it could not completely remove the chloride ions left on the surface. The catalytic performance of direct vapor-phase epoxidation of propylene using air as an oxidant over these catalysts was evaluated at atmospheric pressure. The selectivity to propylene oxide （PO） was found to vary with reaction time on the stream. At the reaction conditions of atmosphere pressure, temperature 325 ℃, feed gas ratio V（C3H6）/V（O2）= 1/2, and GHSV =6000h^-1, 17.9% PO selectivity with 0.9% propylene conversion were obtained at initial 10 min for Au/SiO2 catalyst. After reacting 60 min only 8.9% PO selectivity were detected, but the propylene conversion rises to 1.4% and the main product is transferred to acrolein （72% selectivity）. Washing Au/TiO2-SiO2 and Aa/ZrO2-SiO2 samples with magnesium citrate solution could markedly enhance the activity and PO selectivity because smaller gold particles were obtained.

Gas-phase epoxidation of propylene by molecular oxygen over Ag-Cu-Cl/BaCO_3 catalyst:Effects of Cu and Cl loadings

Ag‐Cu‐Cl/BaCO3 catalysts with different Cl and Cu loadings, prepared by the reduction deposition impregnation method, were investigated for gas‐phase epoxidation of propylene by molecular oxygen and characterized by X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and O2 temperatureprogrammed desorption. Ag‐Cu‐Cl/BaCO3 catalyst with 0.036 wt% Cu and 0.060 wt% Cl exhibitedthe highest catalytic performance for gas‐phase epoxidation of propylene by molecular oxygen. Apropylene oxide selectivity of 83.7% and propylene conversion of 1.2% were achieved under thereaction conditions of 20% C3H6‐10% O2‐70% N2, 200 °C, 0.1 MPa and 3000 h?1. Increasing the Clloading allowed Ag to ensemble easier, whereas changing the Cu loading showed little effect on Agcrystallite size. The appropriate Cl loading of Ag‐Cu‐Cl/BaCO3 catalyst can reduce the dissociationadsorption of oxygen to atomic oxygen species leading to the combustion of propylene to CO2, whichbenefits epoxidation of propylene by molecular oxygen. Excessive Cl loading of Ag‐Cu‐Cl/BaCO3catalyst decreases propylene conversion and propylene oxide selectivity remarkably because of Clpoisoning. The appropriate Cu loading of Ag‐Cu‐Cl/BaCO3 catalyst is efficient for the epoxidation ofpropylene by molecular oxygen, and an excess Cu loading decreases propylene oxide selectivitybecause the aggregation of Cu species increases the exposed surfaces of Ag nanoparticles, whichwas shown by slight increases in atomic oxygen species adsorbed. The appropriate loadings of Cu and Cl of Ag‐Cu‐Cl/BaCO3 catalyst are important to strike the balance between molecular oxygen and atomic oxygen species to create a favorable epoxidation of propylene by molecular oxygen.

Effects of structures of molybdenum catalysts on selectivity in gas-phase propylene oxidation

Molybdenum-based catalysts for the gas-phase oxidation of propylene with air were investigated. Various types of silica-supported molybdenum oxide and molybdenum-bismuth mixed oxide cata- lysts were prepared from inorganic and organometallic molybdenum precursors using wet impregnation and physical vapor deposition methods. The epoxidation activities of the prepared cata- lysts showed direct correlations with their nanostructures, which were identified using transmission electron microscopy. The appearance of a partly or fully crystalline molybdenum oxide phase, which interacted poorly with the silica support, decreased the selectivity for propylene oxide for- mation to below 10%; non-crystalline octahedrally coordinated molybdenum species anchored on the support gave propylene oxide formations greater than 55%, with 11% propylene conversion. Electrochemical characterization of molybdenum oxides with various morphologies showed the importance of structural defects. Direct promotion by bismuth of the epoxidation reactivities over molybdenum oxides is disputed.

Synthesis,characterization and catalytic performance of Mo based metal-organic frameworks in the epoxidation of propylene by cumene hydroperoxide

Two types of Mo containing metal-organic frameworks,denoted as Mo@COMOC-4 and PMA@MIL-101（Cr）,were synthesized respectively by a post-synthetic modification and a ship-in-bottle approach.The catalytic performance of both compounds in the epoxidation of propylene using cumene hydroperoxide（CHP） as oxidant was compared with MoO3@SiO2.A higher conversion（46.2%） and efficiency（87.4%） of CHP was observed for Mo@COMOC-4,whereas the heteropoly acids supported MIL-101 resulted in the decomposition of CHP due to its strong acidic character.Regenerability tests demonstrated that Mo@COMOC-4 could be reused for multiple runs without significant loss in both activity and stability.

Mesoporous Fe-Doped Carbon Electrocatalysts with Highly Exposed Active Sites for Efficient Synthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide and Tandem Epoxidation of Propene

Catalytic tandem synthesis of fine chemicals using the in situ-formed intermediates by electrocatalytic reactions has increasingly attracted attention in recent years.The difficulty lies in the low local concentration of intermediates because of the slow formation rates in the catalytically electrochemical process.We showcase an efficient tandem epoxidation of propene,which is accelerated by the in situ-generated hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2)).The catalysts of iron-doped tubular mesoporous carbons feature ultrathin carbon walls and record-high exposed external surface areas,which enable a H_(2)O_(2) formation rate of 747.7 mmol gcat^(-1) h^(-1) at 0.4 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode,together with a H_(2)O_(2) Faradaic efficiency of nearly 100%.A positive correlation between the exposed external surface area and the oxygen reduction activity is experimentally observed.By utilizing the in situ-generated H_(2)O_(2),the tandem epoxidation of propylene displays a yield rate of 80.3μmol gTS-1^(-1) h^(-1) for propylene oxide.The high performance originates from the high local concentration of H_(2)O_(2) surrounding the titanium silicalite-1 catalysts for propylene epoxidation.The results may inspire other tandem electrochemical reactions by using the mesoporous catalysts for synthesis of building block chemicals.

Epoxidation of propylene by molecular oxygen over unsupported AgCu_x bimetallic catalyst

The unsupported Cu and Ag catalysts with different oxidation states were prepared, and their catalytic performances for propylene epoxidation were investigated.The metallic Cu catalyst exhibits much higher catalytic activity and propylene oxide(PO) selectivity than Cu2 O and Cu O catalysts.The Cu0 species are the main active sites for propylene epoxidation, but Cu2 O and Cu O species are in favor of CO2 and acrolein production.The PO selectivity of 54.2 % and propylene conversion of 2.6 % can be achieved over the metallic Cu catalyst at 160 °C in initial stage, but metallic Cu catalyst would be oxidized to Cu2 O during propylene epoxidation, resulting in a sharp decrease in the PO selectivity and propylene conversion.Nanosize Ag Cuxbimetallic catalysts were prepared.It is found that adding Ag to the metallic Cu catalysts can prevent the oxidation of Cu and make Ag Cuxbimetallic catalysts more stable under the condition of propylene epoxidation.The Ag/Cu molar ratio can remarkably affect the catalytic performance of Ag Cuxcatalyst and the selectivity to PO and acrolein.After Ag Cuxwas supported on MOx-modified a-Al2O3, its catalytic performance can be improved and has a close relationship with the acid–base property of support.

Deactivation and regeneration of TS-1/SiO2 catalyst for epoxidation of propylene with hydrogen peroxide in a fixed-bed reactor

TS-1/SiO2 catalyst for the epoxidation of propylene with hydrogen peroxide in a fixed-bed reactor has been investigated. The catalyst activity decreases gradually with the online reaction time, but the selectivity of propylene epoxide is kept at about 93%. The fresh, deactivated and regenerated catalysts were characterized with X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectro- scopy, ultra-violet-visible diffuse reflectance, Brunner- Emmett-TeUer method and thermogravimetric analysis, and the deactivated catalyst was regenerated with H2O2/ methanol solution. Compared with the fresh catalyst, both the framework structure and the content of titanium in the framework of the deactivated and regenerated TS-1/SiO2 catalysts were not changed. The major reason of the catalyst deactivation was the blockage of the channels of the catalyst by bulky organic by-products, which covered the active centers of titanium in TS-1. The deposited materials on the deactivated TS-1/SiO2 catalyst could be removed by treatment with hydrogen peroxide/methanol solution or pure methanol; the higher the treatment temperature and the higher the concentration of H2O2 in methanol, the higher the extent of the regeneration. The regeneration treatment did not influence the product selectivity in the propylene epoxidation.