Plasma treated M1 MoVNbTeO_(x)-CeO_(2) composite catalyst for improved performance of oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane

High activity and productivity of MoVNbTeO_(x) catalyst are challenging tasks in oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane(ODHE)for industrial application.In this work,phase-pure M1 with 30 wt%CeO_(2) composite catalyst was treated by oxygen plasma to further enhance catalyst performance.The results show that the oxygen vacancies generated by the solid-state redox reaction between M1 and CeO_(2) capture active oxygen species in gas and transform V^(4+)to V^(5+)without damage to M1 structure.The space-time yield of ethylene of the plasma-treated catalyst was significantly increased,in which the catalyst shows an enhancement near~100% than that of phase-pure M1 at 400℃ for ODHE process.Plasma treatment for catalysts demonstrates an effective way to convert electrical energy into chemical energy in catalyst materials.Energy conversion is achieved by using the catalyst as a medium.

Photocatalytic Degradation of Phenol over MWCNTs-TiO2 Composite Catalysts with Different Diameters

Titania-based composite catalysts were prepared through a sol-gel route employing multi-walled carbon nanotubes with different diameters. The materials were characterized using thermogravimetric analysis, nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm, powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and diffuse reflectance UV-Vis absorption spectra. The application of the catalysts to photocatalytic degradation of phenol was tested under UV-Vis irradiation. A synergetic effect on phenol removal was observed in case of composite catalysts, which was evaluated in terms of apparent rate constant, total organic carbon removal and photonic efficiency.

Synthesis and Photocatalytic Activity of TiO_2/V_2O_5 Composite Catalyst Doped with Rare Earth Ions

TiO2/V2O5 catalyst doped with rare earth ions was prepared by sol-gel method. Titanium tetrapropoxide and vanadium pentoxide were used as precursor of the composite catalyst and rare earth ions were used as dopant. The crystal phases, crystalline sizes, microstructure, absorption spectra of doped composite catalyst were studied by XRD, EDS, FT-IR and UV-Vis. Photoactivity of the prepared catalyst under ultraviolet irradiation were evaluated by degradation of methyl orange （MO） in aqueous solution. It is shown that the prepared catalyst is composed of anatase and futile. The rare earth ions are highly dispersed in composite catalyst. All the doped catalysts appear higher photocatalytic activity than TiO2/V2O5 catalyst and catalyst doped with Ce^4＋ present the best activity to MO.

The carboxylates formed on oxides promoting the aromatization in syngas conversion over composite catalysts

Syngas to aromatics(STA)over bifunctional catalysts has attracted much attention in recent years,but the mechanism underlying the formation of aromatics remains controversial.The critical reaction intermediates,carboxylates,were first identified and then confirmed to essentially promote aromatization in the syngas conversion over a ZnCrAlO_(x)&H-ZSM-5 composite catalyst.This study provides evidence that the carboxylates can be formed during the reactions of formate species and olefins.In addition,it is shown that the carboxylates favor the formation of aromatics over H-ZSM-5 even in the presence of H2.A novel mechanism for the formation of aromatics via the generation and transformation of carboxylate intermediates is proposed,and the transformation of carboxylates to aromatics via methyl-2-cyclopenten-1-one(MCPO)intermediates is indeed likely.A better understanding of the formation mechanism of aromatics would help optimize the composite catalyst.

Insights into effects of ZrO_(2) crystal phase on syngas‐to‐olefin conversion over ZnO/ZrO_(2) and SAPO‐34 composite catalysts

The utilization of metal oxide‐zeolite catalysts in the syngas‐to‐olefin reaction is a promising strategy for producing C_(2)–C_(4) olefins from non‐petroleum resources.However,the effect of the crystal phase of metal oxides on the catalytic activity of these oxides is still ambiguous.Herein,typical metal oxides(ZnO/ZrO_(2))with different crystal phases(monoclinic(m‐ZrO_(2))and tetragonal(t‐ZrO_(2)))were employed for syngas conversion.The(ZnO/m‐ZrO_(2)+SAPO‐34)composite catalyst exhibited 80.5%selectivity for C_(2)–C_(4) olefins at a CO conversion of 27.9%,where the results are superior to those(CO conversion of 16.4%and C_(2)–C_(4) olefin selectivity of 76.1%)obtained over(ZnO/t‐ZrO_(2)+SAPO‐34).The distinct differences are ascribed to the larger number of hydroxyl groups,Lewis acid sites,and oxygen defects in ZnO/m‐ZrO_(2) compared to ZnO/t‐ZrO_(2).These features result in the formation of more formate and methoxy intermediate species on the ZnO/m‐ZrO_(2) oxides during syngas conversion,followed by the formation of more light olefins over SAPO‐34.The present findings provide useful information for the design of highly efficient ZrO_(2)‐based catalysts for syngas conversion.

Improved ethane conversion to ethylene and aromatics over a Zn/ZSM-5 and CaMnO^(3-δ) composite catalyst

Ethane conversion to ethylene and aromatics over Zn/zeolite catalysts is a promising technology for efficient exploitation of light alkanes. However, the reaction faces two major hurdles including the limited ethane conversion due to thermodynamics and the drastic catalyst deactivation by kinetical coke accumulation. Here we present a route to improve ethane conversion using a composite catalyst, involving Zn/HZSM-5 for ethane dehydroaromatization and CaMnO3-δperovskite for in situ selective hydrogen oxidation. The in situ H2 consumption shifts ethane dehydrogenation equilibrium to the desired side and can obviously increase the yield of target product. Furthermore, it is found that the in situ generated H2 O through H2 combustion can significantly suppress the coke formation and consequently enhance the stability of the composite catalyst. After 400 min reaction, a product yield of 23% was retained over the composite catalyst, almost a threefold increase with respect to the Zn/HZSM-5 reference(8%). It is anticipated that this novel composite catalyst combined with an efficient reactor technology may improve the viability of ethane aromatization in utilization.

Pore structure analysis of PFSA/SiO_2 composite catalysts from nitrogen adsorption isotherms

The perfluorosulfonic acid （PFSA）/SiO2 composite catalysts were prepared by sol-gel method. Differences concerning pore structure analysis of PFSA/SiO2 catalysts were discussed on the basis of nitrogen adsorption. Their surface area and pore size distributions were evaluated by Brunauer-Emmett-Teller （BET） and Barrett-Joyner-Halenda （BJH） methods, respectively. The nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherms associated with adsorption hysteresis of PFSA/SiO2 catalysts were analyzed in detail. The adsorption isotherms of PFSA/SiOe catalysts belonged to Type IV isotherms accompanied by hysteresis loops of Type H1 for PFSA/SiO2 catalysts with content of 5%, 13% and 20% PFSA （PFSA-5, PFSA-13 and PFSA-20）, and the hysteresis loop of Type H2 for PFSA/SiO2 catalyst with 40% PFSA content （PFSA-40）. It indicated that PFSA-5, PFSA-13 and PFSA-20 catalysts had narrow pore size distributions and the well-defined cylindrical pores, while PFSA-40 catalyst had wide pore size distribution and inkbottle-like pores. The pore structure of PFSA-40 catalyst from the analysis of the hysteresis loop was not in agreement with that from BJH method. As an emendation for evaluation of pore size distributions of PFSA/SiOz catalysts, the comparison plots method was introduced, which was helpful to evaluate the pore structure of PFSA/SiO2 catalysts more factually.

Photocatalytic degradation of imidacloprid by composite catalysts H_3PW_(12)O_(40)/La-TiO_2

A series of La-doped TiO2 with different mass fractions were prepared by sol-gel method. Composite catalysts H3PW12O40/La-TiO2 with different loading levels were synthesized using impregnation method. The prepared samples were charac- terized by foutler transform infrared spectroscopy （FT-IR）, X-ray diffraction （XRD）, scanning electron microscopy （SEM）, UV vis diffuse reflectance spectroscopy （DRS） and nitrogen adsorption-desorption analysis. The Keggin structure of H3PWI2040 （HPW） re- mained intact on the surface of the composites, they had relatively uniform spherical grains of diameter less than 20 nm. The visible light activity of prepared composites were improved by loading HPW and doping La. The prepared composites were used as photo- catalysts in degradation of pesticide imidacloprid. Results revealed that 20%H3PWL204o/0.3%La-TiO2 possessed the best photocata- lyric activity. Thus, the degradation conversion of imidacloprid reached 98.17% after 60 rain irradiation when 20%H3PW12O4/0.3% La-TiO2 was used as catalysts. The degradation of imidacloprid corresponded with first-order kinetic reaction, and the half life of the degradation of imidacloprid was 9.35 min in the optimal conditions.

Synthesis of La_2MoO_6@MWCNTs composite catalysts as Pt-free counter electrodes for dye-sensitized solar cell

Pt-free counter electrode(CE) composed of La2 MoO(LaO-MoO) was successfully synthesized by simple pyrolysis of lanthanum acetate(CHOLa·xHO) and hexaammonium heptamolybdate tetrahydrate((NH4)6 MoO·4 HO). Furthermore,three proportions composites catalysts of La2 MoO@MWCNTs based on La2 MoOand multiwall carbon nanotubes(MWCNTs) were prepared and characterized as Ptfree catalyst for CE in dye-sensitized solar cells(DSSCs). The morphology and structure of La2 MoO@MWCNTs composites were determined by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscope and X-ray diffraction. The electrochemical performance of La2 MoO@MWCNTs composite catalysts for CEs was determined by photocurrent-voltage measurements, cyclic voltammetry,electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and Tafel polarization. The power conversion efficiencies of4.68%, 4.87% and 5.06% are obtained for La2 MoO:MWCNTs with the mass ratios of 5:1, 3:1 and 1:1 towards the reduction of I~-to I~-under the same conditions,respectively,which are superior to those of MWCNTs(3,94%) and La2 MoO(1.71%) electrodes. The experimental results reveal that the presence of MWCNTs results in an augmented active catalytic surface area and enhanced charge transfer from CE to the electrolyte.

Preparation and reaction mechanism of novel Ce_(x)Co_(y)Cuz oxide composite catalysts towards oxidation of o-xylene

Ce_(x)Co_(y)Cuzoxide composite catalysts were prepared by using polyethylene glycol, citrate sol-gel method combined with PMMA template for the oxidation of o-xylene. The catalysts were characterized by the Xray diffraction(XRD), H2-temperature programmed reduction(H2-TPR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy(FT-IR), etc. The catalytic activity for o-xylene was investigated. The catalytic degradation pathway and mechanism of o-xylene were inferred. The results show that Ce O_(2)is mainly present on the surface of all catalysts. The surface area of Ce_(2)Co1Cu1is up to 77.2 m^(2)/g, and the average pore size is 10.62 nm. It exhibits redox and sufficient Ce^(4+)and Ce^(^(3+)), and reactive oxygen species, and has maximum O-H and C=O in the five catalyst samples. The catalytic activity of Ce2Co1Cu1is the best at low temperature, with the T50and T90values of 235 and 258°C at a space velocity of 32000 h-1, respectively. The o-xylene is oxidized to o-methyl benzaldehyde, and then further oxidized to o-methylbenzoic acid, and finally CO_(2)and H2O are formed.

Synthesis and Application of a Zeolite-containing Composite Material Made from Spent FCC Catalyst

Novel composite material with a wide pore distribution was synthesized by an in situ technique using spent FCC catalyst as raw material. The characterization results indicated that the composite material contained 56.7% of zeolite Y and exhibited a much larger specific surface area and pore volume as well as strong hydrothermal stability. Fluid catalytic cracking(FCC) catalyst was prepared based on the composite material. The results indicated that the as-prepared catalyst possessed a unique pore structure that was advantageous to the diffusion-controlled reactions. In addition, the attrition resistance, activity and hydrothermal stability of the studied catalyst were superior to those of the reference catalyst. The catalyst also exhibited excellent nickel and vanadium passivation performance, strong bottoms upgrading selectivity, and better gasoline and coke selectivity. In comparison to the reference catalyst, the yields of the gasoline and light oil increased by 1.61 and 1.31 percentage points, respectively, and the coke yield decreased by 0.22 percentage points, and the olefin content in the produced gasoline reduced by 2.51 percentage points, with the research octane number increased by 0.7 unit.

SYNTHESIS AND PROPERTIES OF A NOVEL COMPOSITE ZSM-5 ZEOLITE/VERMICULITE CATALYST

The composite ZSM—5 zeolite/vermiculite catalyst,in which tiny ZSM—5 zeolite parti- cles embedded in the vermiculite substrate,has been synthesized by hydrothermal method with vermiculite as silicon source.The catalytic behavior of resulting catalyst for xylene isomerization,propylene aromatization and toluene disproportionation is better than that of HZSM—5 zeolite.

Ag_3PO_4/Ag_2CO_3 p–n heterojunction composites with enhanced photocatalytic activity under visible light

Formation of a p–n heterojunction rather than p-type or n-type semiconductors can enhance the separation of photogenerated electrons and holes and increase the quantum efficiency of photocatalytic reactions owing to the difference of the electric potential in the inner electric field near the junction,pointing from n toward p. n-Ag3PO4/p-Ag2CO3 p–n heterojunction composites are prepared through a facile coprecipitation process. The obtained Ag3PO4/Ag2CO3 p–n heterojunctions exhibit excellent photocatalytic performance in the removal of rhodamine B（RhB） compared with Ag3PO4 and Ag2CO3. The 40%-Ag3PO4/Ag2CO3 composite photocatalyst（40 mol% Ag3PO4 and 60 mol% Ag2CO3） exhibits the best photocatalytic activity under visible light,demonstrating the ability to completely degrade RhB within 15 min. Transient photovoltage characterization and an active species trapping experiment further indicate that the formation of a p–n heterojunction structure can greatly enhance the separation efficiency of photogenerated carriers and produce more free h＋active species,which is the predominant contributor for RhB removal.

α-MnO_2 nanoneedle-based hollow microspheres coated with Pd nanoparticles as a novel catalyst for rechargeable lithium-air batteries

The hollow α-MnO2 nanoneedle-based microspheres coated with Pd nanoparticles were reported as a novel catalyst for rechargeable lithium-air batteries. The hollow microspheres are composed ofα-MnO2 nanoneedles. Pd nanoparticles are deposited on the hollow microspheres through an aqueous-solution reduction of PdCl2 with NaBH4 at room temperature. The results of TEM, XRD, and EDS show that the Pd nanoparticles are coated on the surface ofα-MnO2 nanoneedles uniformly and the mass fraction of Pd in the Pd-coated α-MnO2 catalyst is about 8.88%. Compared with the counterpart of the hollow α-MnO2 catalyst, the hollow Pd-coated α-MnO2 catalyst improves the energy conversion efficiency and the charge-discharge cycling performance of the air electrode. The initial specific discharge capacity of an air electrode composed of Super P carbon and the as-prepared Pd-coatedα-MnO2 catalyst is 1220 mA＆#183;h/g （based on the total electrode mass） at a current density of 0.1 mA/cm2, and the capacity retention rate is about 47.3% after 13 charge-discharge cycles. The results of charge-discharge cycling tests demonstrate that this novel Pd-coatedα-MnO2 catalyst with a hierarchical core-shell structure is a promising catalyst for the lithium-air battery.

Photocatalytic activity and kinetics for acid yellow degradation over surface composites of TiO_2-coated activated carbon under different photocatalytic conditions

TiO2-coated activated carbon surface （TAs） composites were prepared by a sol-gel method with supercritical pretreatment. The photocatalytic degradation of acid yellow （AY） was investigated under UV radiation to estimate activity of catalysts and determine the kinetics. And the effects of parameters including the initial concentration of AY, light intensity and TiO2 content in catalysts were examined. The results indicate that TAs has a higher efficiency in decomposition of AY than P25, pure TiO2 particles as well as the mixture of TiO2 powder and active carbon. The photocatalytic degradation rate is found to follow the pseudo-first order kinetics with respect to the AY concentration. The new kinetic model fairly resembles the classic Langmuir-Hinshelwood equation, and the rate constant is proportional to the square root of the light intensity in a wide range. However, its absorption performance depends on the surface areas of catalysts. The model fits quite well with the experimental data and elucidates phenomena about the effects of the TiO2 content in TAs on the degradation rate.

Advances of Synergistic Electrocatalysis Between Single Atoms and Nanoparticles/Clusters

Combining single atoms with clusters or nanoparticles is an emerging tactic to design efficient electrocatalysts.Both synergy effect and high atomic utilization of active sites in the composite catalysts result in enhanced electrocatalytic performance,simultaneously provide a radical analysis of the interrelationship between structure and activity.In this review,the recent advances of single-atomic site catalysts coupled with clusters or nanoparticles are emphasized.Firstly,the synthetic strategies,characterization,dynamics and types of single atoms coupled with clusters/nanoparticles are introduced,and then the key factors controlling the structure of the composite catalysts are discussed.Next,several clean energy catalytic reactions performed over the synergistic composite catalysts are illustrated.Eventually,the encountering challenges and recommendations for the future advancement of synergistic structure in energy-transformation electrocatalysis are outlined.

Hydrogen production performance of the non⁃platinum⁃based MoS_(2)/CuS cathode in microbial electrolytic cells

MoS_(2)/CuS composite catalysts were successfully synthesized using a one-step hydrothermal method with sodium molybdate dihydrate,thiourea,oxalic acid,and copper nitrate trihydrate as raw materials.The hydrogen pro-duction performance of MoS_(2)/CuS prepared with different molar ratios of Mo to Cu precursors(n_(Mo)∶n_(Cu))as cathodic catalysts was investigated in the two-chamber microbial electrolytic cell(MEC).X-ray diffraction(XRD),X-ray pho-toelectron spectroscopy(XPS),scanning electron microscopy(SEM),transmission electron microscope(TEM),linear scanning voltammetry(LSV),electrochemical impedance analysis(EIS),and cyclic voltammetry(CV)were used to characterize the synthesized catalysts for testing and analyzing the hydrogen-producing performance.The results showed that the hydrogen evolution performance of MoS_(2)/CuS-20%(nMo∶nCu=5∶1)was better than that of platinum(Pt)mesh,and the hydrogen production rate of MoS_(2)/CuS-20%as a cathode in MEC was(0.2031±0.0237)m^(3)_(H_(2))·m^(-3)·d^(-1) for 72 h at an applied voltage of 0.8 V,which was slightly higher than that of Pt mesh of(0.1886±0.0134)m^(3)_(H_(2))·m^(-3)·d^(-1).The addition of a certain amount of CuS not only regulates the electron transfer ability of MoS_(2) but also increases the density of active sites.

Preparation and characterization of the TiO_2-V_2O_5 photocatalyst with visible-light activity

Visible-light responsive TiO2-V2O5 catalyst was prepared using a binary sol-gel and in-situ intercalation method. The TiO2 sol and V2O5 sol were mixed to disperse the V2O5 species in the TiO2 phase at molecular level. The binary sol was then intercalated into interspaces of polyaniline （PANI） by means of in-situ polymerization of aniline. Conglomeration of the TiO2-V2O5 dusters during the calcination process was avoided because of the wrap of polyaniline. The surface mor- phology, the crystal phases, the structure, and the absorption spectra of （PANI）,/TiO2-V2O5 and the composite catalyst were studied using SEM, XRD, FT-IR, and UV-Vis. The photoactivity of the prepared catalyst under UV and visible light irradiation were evaluated by decolorization of methylene blue （MB） solution. The results showed that the composite catalyst displayed a homogeneous anatase phase, and the vanadium pentoxide species was highly dispersed in the TiO2 phase. The composite catalyst responded to visible light because of the narrowed band gap. In this study, the catalyst with the sol volume ratio of TiO2： V2O5 = 10：1 presented the best photocatalytic activity.

3D hierarchically macro-/mesoporous graphene frameworks enriched with pyridinic-nitrogen-cobalt active sites as efficient reversible oxygen electrocatalysts for rechargeable zinc-air batteries

Efficient and affordable electrocatalysts for reversible oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions(ORR and OER,respectively)are highly sought-after for use in rechargeable metal-air batteries.However,the construction of high-performance electrocatalysts that possess both largely accessible active sites and superior ORR/OER intrinsic activities is challenging.Herein,we report the design and successful preparation of a 3D hierarchically porous graphene framework with interconnected interlayer macropores and in-plane mesopores,enriched with pyridinic-nitrogen-cobalt(pyri-N-Co)active sites,namely,CoFe/3D-NLG.The pyri-N-Co bonding significantly accelerates sluggish oxygen electrocatalysis kinetics,in turn substantially improving the intrinsic ORR/OER activities per active site,while copious interlayer macropores and in-plane mesopores enable ultra-efficient mass transfer throughout the graphene architecture,thus ensuring sufficient exposure of accessible pyri-N-Co active sites to the reagents.Such a robust catalyst structure endows CoFe/3D-NLG with a remarkably enhanced reversible oxygen electrocatalysis performance,with the ORR half-wave potential identical to that of the benchmark Pt/C catalyst,and OER activity far surpassing that of the noble-metal-based RuO2 catalyst.Moreover,when employed as an air electrode for a rechargeable Zn-air battery,CoFe/3D-NLG manifests an exceedingly high open-circuit voltage(1.56 V),high peak power density(213 mW cm^(–2)),ultra-low charge/discharge voltage(0.63 V),and excellent charge/discharge cycling stability,outperforming state-of-the-art noble-metal electrocatalysts.

Synthesis and study of λ-MnO_2 supported Pt nanocatalyst for methanol electro-oxidation

A λ-MnO2 supported Pt nanocatalyst（5 wt.% Pt/λ-MnO2） was synthesized using a facile approach.X-ray diffraction（XRD）, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy（XPS）, scanning electronic microscope（SEM）, transmission electron microscopy（TEM）, and energy disperse spectroscopy（EDS） were used for catalyst structure and morphology characterization, which showed that the metallic Pt particles were attached on a λ-MnO2 surface through the interaction between Pt and λ-MnO2.Cyclic voltammetry（CV） was used to test the catalytic activity of Pt/λ-MnO2 toward methanol oxidation, which showed that Pt/λ-MnO2 catalyst has much higher catalytic activity than baseline Pt/C catalyst.