Advances in the studies of the supported ruthenium catalysts for CO_(2) methanation

CO_(2) methanation has a potential in the large-scale utilization of carbon dioxide.It has also been considered to be useful for the renewable energy storage.The commercial pipeline for natural gas transportation can be directly applied for the methane product of CO_(2) methanation.The supported ruthenium(Ru)catalyst has been confirmed to be active and stable for CO_(2) methanation with its high ability in the dissociation of hydrogen and the strong binding of carbon monoxide.CO_(2) methanation over the supported Ru catalyst is structure sensitive.The size of the Ru catalyst and the support have significant effects on the activity and the mechanism.A significant challenge re-mained is the structural controllable preparation of the supported Ru catalyst toward a sufficiently high low-temperature activity.In this review,the recent progresses in the investigations of the supported Ru catalysts for CO_(2) methanation are summarized.The challenges and the future devel-opments are also discussed.

Conjugated microporous polymers-scaffolded enzyme cascade systems with enhanced catalytic activity

Enhancing catalytic activity of multi-enzyme in vitro through substrate channeling effect is promis-ing yet challenging.Herein,conjugated microporous polymers(CMPs)-scaffolded integrated en-zyme cascade systems(I-ECSs)are constructed through co-entrapping glucose oxidase(GOx)and horseradish peroxidase(HRP),in which hydrogen peroxide(H_(2)O_(2)) is the intermediate product.The interplay of low-resistance mass transfer pathway and appropriate pore wall-H_(2)O_(2) interactions facilitates the directed transfer of H_(2)O_(2),resulting in 2.4-fold and 5.0-fold elevation in catalytic activ-ity compared to free ECSs and separated ECSs,respectively.The substrate channeling effect could be regulated by altering the mass ratio of GOx to HRP.Besides,I-ECSs demonstrate excellent stabili-ties in harsh environments and multiple recycling.

In_2O_3-modified Cu/SiO_2 as an active and stable catalyst for the hydrogenation of methyl acetate to ethanol

A series of indium oxide‐modified Cu/SiO2catalysts were synthesized and used to produce ethanol via methyl acetate hydrogenation.In‐Cu/SiO2catalyst containing1.0wt%In2O3exhibited the best catalytic activity and stability.The physicochemical properties of the synthesized catalysts were investigated using several characterization methods and the results showed that introducing suitable indium to Cu/SiO2increased the copper dispersion,diminished the copper crystallite size,and enriched the surface Cu+concentration.Furthermore,the Cu/SiO2catalyst gradually deactivated during the stability test,which was mainly attributed to copper sintering and the valence change in surface copper species.In contrast,indium addition can inhibit the thermal transmigration and accumulation of copper nanoparticles to stabilize the catalyst.?2018,Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics,Chinese Academy of Sciences.Published by Elsevier B.V.All rights reserved.

Effect of decomposition of catalyst precursor on Ni/CeO_2 activity for CO methanation

CO methanation on Ni/CeO2 has recently received increasing attention.However,the low-temperature activity and carbon resistance of Ni/CeO2 still need to be improved.In this study,plasma decomposition of nickel nitrate was performed at ca.150℃ and atmospheric pressure.This was followed by hydrogen reduction at 500 ℃ in the absence of plasma,and a highly dispersed Ni/CeO2 catalyst was obtained with improved CO adsorption and enhanced metal-support interaction.The plasma-decomposed catalyst showed significantly improved low-temperature activity with high methane selectivity(up to 100%)and enhanced carbon resistance for CO methanation.For example,at 250 ℃,the plasma-decomposed catalyst showed a CO conversion of 96.8% with high methane selectivity(almost 100%),whereas the CO conversion was only 14.7% for a thermally decomposed catalyst.

Modifying the acidity of H-MOR and its catalytic carbonylation of dimethyl ether

Among the reactions catalyzed by zeolites there are some that exhibit high selectivity due to the spatial confinement effect of the zeolite framework.Tailoring the acidity,particularly the distribution and location of the Bronsted acid sites in the zeolite is effective for making it a better catalyst for these reactions.We prepared a series of H-mordenite（H-MOR） samples by varying the composition of the sol-gel,using different structure directing agents and post-treatment.NH3-TPD and IR characterization of adsorbed pyridine were employed to determine the amount of Bronsted acid sites in the 8-membered ring and 12-membered ring channels.It was shown that controlled synthesis was a promising approach to improve the concentration of Bronsted acid sites in MOR,even with a low Al content.Using an appropriate composition of Si and Al in the sol-gel favored a higher proportion of Bronsted acid sites in the 8-membered ring channels.HMI as a structure-direct agent gave an obvious enrichment of Bronsted acid sites in the 8-membered ring.Carbonylation of dimethyl ether was used as a probe reaction to examine the modification of the acid properties,especially the Bronsted acid sites in the 8-membered ring channels.There was a linear relationship between methyl acetate formation and the number of Bronsted acid sites in the 8-membered ring channels,demonstrating the successful modification of acid properties.Our results provide information for the rational design and modification of zeolites with spatial constraints.

Spacial hindrance induced recovery of over-poisoned active acid sites in pyridine-modified H-mordenite for dimethyl ether carbonylation

Zeolite catalysts,such as H-mordenite(H-MOR),are readily deactivated by coke deposition in carbonylation reactions.Pyridine modification of H-MOR can improve its stability but can lead to an undesirable loss in catalytic activity.Herein,we report the intrinsic impact of the pyridine adsorption behavior on H-MOR and the spacial hindrance of the zeolite frameworks on dimethyl ether(DME)carbonylation at a molecular level.We discovered that acid sites at O2 positions,located on common walls of eight-membered ring(8-MR)side pockets and 12-MR channels,were active in DME carbonylation,but were unfortunately poisoned during pyridine modification.Density functional theory calculations revealed that the pyridine-poisoned acid sites at the O2 positions could be easily regenerated due to the spacial hindrance of the zeolite frameworks.Accordingly,they can be facilely regenerated by proper thermal treatment,which induces 60%promotion in the catalytic activity along with a high stability.Our findings demonstrate the determining role of O2 positions in H-MOR for DME carbonylation and provide a new avenue for the rational design of other efficient zeolite-relevant catalytic systems.

Simultaneous hydrogen and peroxide production by photocatalytic water splitting

Photocatalytic oxidation of water is a promising method to realize large-scale H2O2 production without a hazardous and energy-intensive process. In this study, we introduce a Pt/TiO2(anatase) photocatalyst to construct a simple and environmentally friendly system to achieve simultaneous H2 and H2O2 production. Both H2 and H2O2 are high-value chemicals, and their separation is automatic. Even without the assistance of a sacrificial agent, the system can reach an efficiency of 7410 and 5096 μmol g^-1 h^–1 (first 1 h) for H2 and H2O2, respectively, which is much higher than that of a commercial Pt/TiO2(anatase) system that has a similar morphology. This exceptional activity is attributed to the more favorable two-electron oxidation of water to H2O2, compared with the four-electron oxidation of water to O2.

Construction of 2D-2D TiO_2 nanosheet/layered WS_2 heterojunctions with enhanced visible-light-responsive photocatalytic activity

Constructing nanocomposites that combine the advantages of composite materials,nanomaterials,and interfaces has been regarded as an important strategy to improve the photocatalytic activity of TiO2.In this study,2D‐2D TiO2 nanosheet/layered WS2(TNS/WS2)heterojunctions were prepared via a hydrothermal method.The structure and morphology of the photocatalysts were systematically characterized.Layered WS2(~4 layers)was wrapped on the surface of TiO2 nanosheets with a plate‐to‐plate stacked structure and connected with each other by W=O bonds.The as‐prepared TNS/WS2 heterojunctions showed higher photocatalytic activity for the degradation of RhB under visible‐light irradiation,than pristine TiO2 nanosheets and layered WS2.The improvement of photocatalytic activity was primarily attributed to enhanced charge separation efficiency,which originated from the perfect 2D‐2D nanointerfaces and intimate interfacial contacts between TiO2 nanosheets and layered WS2.Based on experimental results,a double‐transfer photocatalytic mechanism for the TNS/WS2 heterojunctions was proposed and discussed.This work provides new insights for synthesizing highly efficient and environmentally stable photocatalysts by engineering the surface heterojunctions.

Decorating Ag/AgCl on UiO-66-NH2: Synergy between Ag plasmons and heterostructure for the realization of efficient visible light photocatalysis

UiO-66-NH2, as typical visible light responsive Zr-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), has attracted great interest in recent years. However, rapid combination of the photoinduced carriers limits its further application. Here, we designed a facile precipitation-photoreduction method to post-synthetically decorate Ag/AgCl on the surface of UiO-66-NH2 and form a heterostructure. Metallic Ag can not only transmit electrons between UiO-66-NH2 and AgCl but also absorb visible light, because of the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) effect. The rhodamine B photodegradation rate of UiO-66-NH2/Ag/AgCl (16.2 wt.% Ag) is about 10 and 4 times those of UiO-66-NH2 and Ag/AgCl, respectively. The SPR effect of Ag NPs and the formation of a heterostructure synergistically increase the absorbability of visible light, accelerate the separation of photoinduced charges, and promote the formation of superoxide radicals. We expect that our work could provide a new viewpoint for constructing efficient MOF-based photocatalytic systems.

Efficient and stable Ru(Ⅲ)-choline chloride catalyst system with low Ru content for non-mercury acetylene hydrochlorination

Herein,we report an excellent,supported Ru(III)‐ChCl/AC catalyst with lower Ru content,where the ionic complex ChRuCl4 serves as the active component for acetylene hydrochlorination.The prepared heterogeneous Ru‐10%ChCl/AC catalyst shows excellent activity and long‐term stability.In this system,ChCl provides an environment for the ChRuCl4 to be stabilized as Ru(III),thus suppressing the reduction of the active species and the aggregation of ruthenium species during the reaction.The interaction between reactants and catalyst species was investigated by catalyst characterizations in combination with DFT calculations to disclose the effect of the ChRuCl4 complex and ChCl on the catalytic performance.This inexpensive,efficient,and long‐term catalyst is a competitive candidate for application in the hydrochlorination industry.

Fe-TiO_2 and Fe_2O_3 quantum dots co-loaded on MCM-41 for removing aqueous rose bengal by combined adsorption/photocatalysis

Adsorption and photodegradation are promising approaches for removing organic pollutions.In this study,we combined these two processes by co-loading Fe-TiO2 and Fe2O3 quantum dots(QDs)on porous MCM-41,using a simple hydrolysis method.X-ray diffraction,high-resolution transmission electron microscopy,and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy results indicated that Fe-TiO2 QDs are formed at low Fe precursor concentrations,while additional Fe2O3 QDs are formed at higher Fe precursor concentrations.The Fe2O3 and Fe-TiO2 QDs impart high adsorption capacity and high photoactivity to the porous MCM-41,respectively.Thus,their combination results in a synergic effect of the adsorption and photodegradation.The highest-performing sample exhibits excellent performance in removing rose bengal from aqueous solution.

Chemical looping partial oxidation over FeWOx/SiO2 catalysts

This paper describes the design of a FeWOx-based oxygen carrier for the chemical partial oxidation of methane(CLPOM).Thermodynamic screening and kinetic analyses both forecast the FeWOx-based oxygen carrier as a promising candidate for the production of syngas.The total methane conversion and syngas yield can be dramatically increased with this catalyst compared to the case with the unmodified WO3/SiO2,thereby enabling CLPOM with 62%methane conversion,93%CO gas-phase selectivity,94%H2 selectivity,and a 2.4 H2/CO ratio.The catalyst has the advantages of high availability of lattice oxygen to oxidize carbonaceous intermediates in time,together with the formation of an Fe-W alloy to promote the surface reaction.Consequently,it demonstrates excellent catalytic performance with no catalyst deactivation at 900°C and 1 atm.The excellent structural stability plays an essential role in CLPOM.As revealed via XPS and ICP,the phase segregation has not been observed due to the strong interaction between Fe and W,which resulted in the formation of the Fe-W alloy during the reduction processes and the match between the ion oxidation rates of the Fe and W ions in the oxidation stage.The results provide fundamental information on the reaction mechanism of FeWOx/SiO2,and present it as a promising candidate for CLPOM.

Self-supporting NiFe LDH-MoS_(x) integrated electrode for highly efficient water splitting at the industrial electrolysis conditions

Developing effective and practical electrocatalyst under industrial electrolysis conditions is critical for renewable hydrogen production.Herein,we report the self-supporting NiFe LDH-MoS_(x) integrated electrode for water oxidation under normal alkaline test condition(1 M KOH at 25℃)and simulated industrial electrolysis conditions(5 M KOH at 65℃).Such optimized electrode exhibits excellent oxygen evolution reaction(OER)performance with overpotential of 195 and 290 mV at current density of 100 and 400 mA·cm^(-2) under normal alkaline test condition.Notably,only over-potential of 156 and 201 mV were required to achieve the current density of 100 and 400mA·cm^(-2) under simulated industrial electrolysis conditions.No significant degradations were observed after long-term durability tests for both conditions.When using in two-electrode system,the operational voltages of 1.44 and 1.72 V were required to achieve a current density of 10 and 100 mA·cm^(-2) for the overall water splitting test(NiFe LDH-MoS_(x)/INF||20%Pt/C).Additionally,the operational voltage of employing NiFe LDH-MoS_(x)/INF as both cathode and anode merely require 1.52 V at 50mA·cm^(-2) at simulated industrial electrolysis conditions.Notably,a membrane electrode assembly(MEA)for anion exchange membrane water electrolysis(AEMWEs)using NiFe LDH-MoS_(x)/INF as an anode catalyst exhibited an energy conversion efficiency of 71.8%at current density of 400 mA·cm^(-2)in 1 M KOH at 60℃.Further experimental results reveal that sulfurized substrate not only improved the conductivity of NiFe LDH,but also regulated its electronic configurations and atomic composition,leading to the excellent activity.The easy-obtained and cost-effective integrated electrodes are expected to meet the large-scale application of industrial water electrolysis.

Reveal the nature of particle size effect for CO_(2) reduction over Pd and Au

Small cluster and periodic surface models with low coverages of intermediates are frequently employed to investigate reaction mechanisms and identify active sites on nanoparticles(NPs)in density functional theory(DFT)studies.However,diverse active sites on NPs cannot be sufficiently represented by these simple models,hampering the in-depth insights into the catalytic behavior of NPs.This paper describes the crucial roles of both model and coverage effect on understanding the nature of active sites for CO_(2)reduction over Au and Pd NPs using DFT calculations.Terrace sites exhibit higher selectivity for CO than edge sites on Au NPs,which is opposite to the results on Au periodic surfaces.This contradiction reveals the computational model effect on clarifying active site properties.For Pd catalysts,the coverage effect is more significant.On bare Pd NPs and periodic surfaces,the selectivity for CO at edge sites is nearly identical to that at terrace sites,whereas edge sites display higher selectivity for CO than terrace sites in the case of high CO coverages.Through considering the more realistic models and the coverage effect,we successfully describe the size effect of Au and Pd NPs on CO selectivity.More importantly,this work reminds us of the necessity of reasonable models in DFT calculations.

Effects of indium on Ni/SiO_2 catalytic performance in hydrodeoxygenation of anisole as model bio-oil compound: Suppression of benzene ring hydrogenation and C–C bond hydrogenolysis

SiO2‐supported monometallic Ni and bimetallic Ni‐In catalysts were prepared and used for hydrodeoxygenation of anisole,which was used as a model bio‐oil compound,for BTX(benzene,toluene,and xylene)production.The effects of the Ni/In ratio and Ni content on the structures and performances of the catalysts were investigated.The results show that In atoms were incorporated into the Ni metal lattice.Although the Ni‐In bimetallic crystallites were similar in size to those of monometallic Ni at the same Ni content,H2uptake by the bimetallic Ni‐In catalyst was much lower than that by monometallic Ni because of dilution of Ni atoms by In atoms.Charge transfer from In to Ni was observed for the bimetallic Ni‐In catalysts.All the results indicate intimate contact between Ni and In atoms,and the In atoms geometrically and electronically modified the Ni atoms.In the hydrodeoxygenation of anisole,although the activities of the Ni‐In bimetallic catalysts in the conversion of anisole were lower than that of the monometallic Ni catalyst,they gave higher selectivities for BTX and cyclohexane as a result of suppression of benzene ring hydrogenation and C–C bond hydrogenolysis.They also showed lower methanation activity.These results will be useful for enhancing carbon yields and reducing H2consumption.In addition,the lower the Ni/In ratio was,the greater was the effect of In on the catalytic performance.The selectivity for BTX was primarily determined by the Ni/In ratio and was little affected by the Ni content.We suggest that the performance of the Ni‐In bimetallic catalyst can be ascribed to the geometric and electronic effects of In.

Pickering interfacial biocatalysis with enhanced diffusion processes for CO_(2) mineralization

Utilization of carbon dioxide(CO_(2))has become a crucial and anticipated solution to address environmental and ecological issues.Enzymes such as carbonic anhydrase(CA)can efficiently convert CO_(2) into various platform chemicals under ambient conditions,which offers a promising way for CO_(2) utilization.Herein,we constructed a Pickering interfacial biocatalytic system(PIBS)stabilized by CA‐embedded MOFs(ZIF‐8 and ZIF‐L)for CO_(2) mineralization.Through structure engineering of MOFs and incorporation of Pickering emulsion,the internal and external diffusion processes of CO_(2) during the enzymatic mineralization were greatly intensified.When CO_(2) was ventilated at a flow rate of 50 mL min^(–1) for 1 h,the pH value of PIBS dropped from~8.00 to~6.50,while the average pH value of free system only dropped to~7.15,indicating that the initial reaction rate of CO_(2) mineralization of PIBS is nearly twice that of the free system.After the 8^(th) cycle reaction,PIBS can still produce more than 9.8 mg of CaCO_(3) in 5 min,realizing efficient and continuous mineralization of CO_(2).

Tuning the electronic structure of platinum nanocrystals towards high efficient ethanol oxidation

Direct ethanol fuel cell is a promising low temperature fuel cell,but its development is hindered by sluggish kinetics of anode catalysts for ethanol oxidation.Here a high efficient platinum/tin oxide/Graphene nanocomposite is synthesized through a facile and environmentally benign method.The structure and morphology are carefully characterized by X-ray diffraction and Transmission electron microscopy,showing a clear platinum/tin oxide heterostructure uniformly dispersed on graphene support.This catalyst demonstrates the highest activity among the reported catalysts and much higher durability towards ethanol oxidation compared to conventional platinum nanocatalysts.The ultrahigh activity originates from promoted removal of poisoning carbon monoxide immediate species on platinum due to a strong electronic donating effect from both tin oxide and graphene,which is fully supported by carbon monoxide stripping and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis.Our platinum/tin oxide/Graphene appears to be a promising candidate for ethanol oxidation electrocatalysts.

Promoting NO_(x)reduction via in situ activation of perovskite supported Pd catalysts under alternating lean-burn/fuel-rich operating atmospheres

Herein,we report the excellent De-NO_(x)performance of La0.7Sr0.3MnO3(LSM)perovskite-supported Pd catalysts(Pd-LSM)in alternating lean-burn/fuel-rich atmospheres using C3H6 as reductant and describe the in situ activation of the Pd catalysts via metal-support interaction(MSI)tuning.The NO_(x)reduction conversion of the Pd-LSM catalyst increased significantly from 56.1%to 90.1%and the production of N2O was suppressed.Our results demonstrated that this behavior was mainly attributed to the in situ transformation of Pd2+into Pd0 during the reaction.The generated Pd0 species could readily activate the C3H6 reductant and achieve an eight-fold higher turnover frequency than Pd2+for the reduction of NO_(x).Moreover,excessive MSIs inhibited the in situ generation of Pd0,and thereby,lowered the De-NO_(x)activity of the catalyst even at high Pd dispersion.In addition,the Pd-LSM catalysts exhibited much higher S tolerance than conventional Al_(2)O_(3)-supported catalysts.Our study provides a new approach for analyzing and designing highly active metal catalysts operated under dynamic alternating oxidizing/reducing atmospheric conditions.

Cobalt nanoparticles encapsulated in nitrogen-doped carbon for room-temperature selective hydrogenation of nitroarenes

Here,we report cobalt nanoparticles encapsulated in nitrogen‐doped carbon(Co@NC)that exhibit excellent catalytic activity and chemoselectivity for room‐temperature hydrogenation of nitroarenes.Co@NC was synthesized by pyrolyzing a mixture of a cobalt salt,an inexpensive organic molecule,and carbon nitride.Using the Co@NC catalyst,a turnover frequency of^12.3 h?1 and selectivity for 4‐aminophenol of>99.9%were achieved for hydrogenation of 4‐nitrophenol at room temperature and 10 bar H2 pressure.The excellent catalytic performance can be attributed to the cooperative effect of hydrogen activation by electron‐deficient Co nanoparticles and energetically preferred adsorption of the nitro group of nitroarenes to electron‐rich N‐doped carbon.In addition,there is electron transfer from the Co nanoparticles to N‐doped carbon,which further enhances the functionality of the metal center and carbon support.The catalyst also exhibits stable recycling performance and high activity for nitroaromatics with various substituents.

Low-temperature synthesis of ultrasmall spinel MnxCo3-xO4 nanoparticles for efficient oxygen reduction

Spinel-type manganese-cobalt oxides have been regarded as important class of electrocatalysts for oxygen reduction reaction(ORR).However,they are usually synthesized through oxidation-precipitation under aqueous ammonia and then crystallization at high temperature(150–180℃),which not only increases the energy consumption but also induces the growth of particles that is unfavorable for ORR.Herein,through a facile precipitation-dehydration method,ultrasmall spinel manganese-cobalt oxide nanoparticles(~5 nm)homogeneously dispersed on conductive carbon black(MnxCo3-xO4/C)were fabricated at low temperature(60℃).And the bimetallic composite oxide(Mn1.5Co1.5O4/C)with cubic spinel structure and high Mn content exhibits remarkable enhancement of ORR activity and stability compared with single metal oxide(both Mn3O4/C and Co3O4/C).The essential reason for the enhancement of activity can be attributed to the presence of the mixed Mn^3+ and Mn^4+ cations in Mn1.5Co1.5O4/C.Moreover,the ORR activity of Mn1.5Co1.5O4/C is comparable to that of commercial 20 wt% Pt/C,and the relative current density only decreases 1.4% after 12 h test,exceeding that of Pt/C and most reported manganese-cobalt oxide electrocatalysts.