XPS analysis of the oxidation of palladium model catalysts

The oxidation of 5 and 8 nm palladium particles supported on SiO₂/Si(1 0 0) has been studied with XPS. During oxidation the thickness of the oxide layer increases linearly with time. The lattice rearrangement needed for the formation of a new oxide layer at the metal–oxide interface is probably the rate-determining step. There were no significant differences between the oxidation of the 5 and 8 nm particles. The rate of the oxidation is strongly temperature-dependent. The activation energy for the oxidation is at least 100 kJ/mol. For comparison the oxidation and reduction of a 8 wt% Pd/SiO₂ catalysts was studied. The results indicated that oxidation and reduction of the Pd/SiO₂ catalyst proceeds in a similar way as on the Pd/SiO₂/Si(1 0 0) model catalysts.     

Dependence of the properties of compositionally graded Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 ferroelectric films of the bottom electrode

Compositionally graded Pb(Zr_,Ti)O₃ thin films were prepared on the Pt(1 1 1)/Ti/SiO₂/Si, LNO/Si(1 0 0) and LNO/Pt(1 1 1)/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by a modified sol–gel method and rapid heat-treatment. The composition depth profile of a typical up-graded film was determined using a combination of auger electron spectroscopy and Ar-ion etching. The crystallographic orientation and the microstructure of the resulting graded PZT thin films on the different substrates were characterized by XRD. The dielectric and ferroelectric properties of the graded PZT films were discussed. The graded PZT films on LNO/Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si and LNO/Si(1 0 0) substrates have larger dielectric constant and remnant polarizations compared to that grown on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates.     

A new route to prepare supported nickel phosphide/silica–alumina hydrotreating catalysts from amorphous alloys

Supported nickel phosphides were prepared by treating an amorphous Ni–B alloy on silica–alumina support with phosphine (15 vol.% PH₃/H₂) at relatively low temperature. The amorphous Ni–B/SiO₂–Al₂O₃ precursors were synthesized by silver-induced electroless plating. The amorphous precursors and catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, BET surface area and inductively coupled plasma measurements. The transmission electron micrographs of the Ni₂P/SiO₂–Al₂O₃ particles with their size ranging from 60 to 80 nm showed that they were homogeneously dispersed over the SiO₂–Al₂O₃ support. The as-prepared catalysts exhibited an excellent catalytic activity in the hydrodesulfurization (HDS) of dibenzothiophene.     

Marked capability for hydrogen occlusion of hollow silica nanospheres containing group 8–10 metal clusters

Hollow silica nanospheres containing various precious metal clusters such as Rh, Ir and Ru were synthesized by solubilizing corresponding metal ammine complexes into NP-6/cyclohexane reversed micelle system. The condensation and nucleation of the metal ammine complex in the reversed micelles took place and the resulting nanocrystals of the ammine complexes acted as a structure-directing agent for the formation of hollow cavity in silica spheres. The nano-hollow spheres were stable for thermal treatment up to 1073 K. By this method, bimetallic nanoparticles, i.e. Rh–Co–SiO₂ and Ir–Co–SiO₂, were also easily synthesized and both metal elements containing in the hollows may be alloyed after thermal treatment. The Ir– and Rh–SiO₂ nano-hollows exhibited excess hydrogen uptake. In particular, over Ir–SiO₂ sample, the H/Ir ratios reached 3.3 under 200 Torr of hydrogen at room temperature. At higher pressure, the H/M value reached 11.6 at 2.6 MPa.     

Synthesis of nanosized TiO2/SiO2 particles in the microemulsion and their photocatalytic activity on the decomposition of p-nitrophenol

Nanosized pure TiO₂ particles were prepared by hydrolysis of TTIP in the sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl)sulfosuccinate (AOT) reverse micelles. TiO₂/SiO₂ nanoparticles were also prepared from TEOS as a silicon source and TTIP as a titanium source. These particles were characterized by TEM, XRD, FT-IR, BET, TGA and DTA. From thermal analysis and XRD analysis, the anatase structure of pure titania appeared in the 300–600 °C calcination temperature range and the rutile structure was showed above 700 °C. However, no rutile phase was observed for the TiO₂/SiO₂ particles up to 800 °C. The crystallite size decreased and the surface area of TiO₂/SiO₂ particles monotonically increased with an increase of the silica content. From FT-IR analysis, the band for Ti–O–Si vibration was observed and the band intensity for Si–O–Si vibration increased with an increase of the silica content. The micrographs of TEM showed that the TiO₂/SiO₂ nanoparticles had a spherical and a narrow size distribution. In addition, TiO₂/SiO₂ particles showed higher photocatalytic activity than pure TiO₂ and the TiO₂/SiO₂ (90/10) particles showed the highest activity on the photocatalytic decomposition of p-nitrophenol.     

Fischer–Tropsch synthesis over Co–SiO2 catalysts prepared by the sol–gel method

Fischer–Tropsch synthesis was carried out in slurry phase over uniformly dispersed Co–SiO₂ catalysts prepared by the sol–gel method. When 0.01–1 wt.% of noble metals were added to the Co–SiO₂ catalysts, a high and stable catalytic activity was obtained over 60 h of the reaction at 503 K and 1 MPa. The addition of noble metals increased the reducibility of surface Co on the catalysts, without changing the particle size of Co metal significantly. High dispersion of metallic Co species stabilized on SiO₂ was responsible for stable activity. The uniform pore size of the catalysts was enlarged by varying the preparation conditions and by adding organic compounds such as N,N-dimethylformamide and formamide. Increased pore size resulted in decrease in CO conversion and selectivity for CO₂, a byproduct, and an increase in the olefin/paraffin ratio of the products. By modifying the surface of wide pore silica with Co–SiO₂ prepared by the sol–gel method, a bimodal pore structured catalyst was prepared. The bimodal catalyst showed high catalytic performance with reducing the amount of the expensive sol–gel Co–SiO₂.     

Metal-organic chemical liquid deposited (1 1 0)-preferred LaNiO3 buffer layer for Pb0.97La0.02(Zr0.85Sn0.13Ti0.02)O3 antiferroelectric films

Conductive perovskite lanthanum nickelate LaNiO₃ (LNO) thin films were fabricated on SiO₂/Si substrates through metal-organic chemical liquid deposition method. The effect of annealing temperature on the orientation and sheet resistance of the LNO films were investigated. XRD patterns showed that the LNO films deposited on SiO₂/Si substrates exhibited preferred-(1 1 0) orientation. The lowest sheet resistance of the LNO thin films, 250 Ω/□ was obtained after being annealed at 650 °C for 1 h. Subsequently, Pb_0.97La_0.02(Zr_0.85Sn_0.13Ti_0.02)O₃ (PLZST) antiferroelectric thin films were prepared on the LaNiO₃ buffered SiO₂/Si substrates via sol–gel process. And the crystallinity, microstructure and electric properties of the PLZST thin films were studied in details.     

Enhanced dielectric tunability properties of Ba(ZrxTi1−x)O3 thin films using seed layers on Pt/Ti/SiO2/Si substrates

The compositionally graded and homogeneous Ba(Zr_xTi_1−x)O₃ (BZT) thin films were fabricated on LaNiO₃ (LNO) buffered Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si and Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates by a sol–gel deposition method, respectively. These films crystallized into a single perovskite phase. The BZT thin films deposited on LaNiO₃/Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates had a highly (1 0 0) preferred orientation and exhibited a preferred (1 1 0) orientation when the thin films were deposited on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates. The LNO and Ba(Zr_0.30Ti_0.70) served as seed layer on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates and analyze the relationship of seed layer, microstructure and dielectric behavior of the thin films. The compositionally graded thin films from BaTiO₃ to BaZr_0.35Ti_0.65O₃ were fabricated on LNO/Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates. The tunability behavior of compositionally graded films was analyzed in order to produce optimum effective dielectric properties. The dielectric constant of BaZr_xTi_1−xO₃ compositionally graded thin films showed weak temperature dependence. This kind of thin films has a potential in a fabrication of a temperature stable tunable device.     

Water-tolerant catalysis of a silica composite of a sulfonic acid resin, Aciplex

A silica composite of a perfluorocarbonsulfonic acid resin, Aciplex, has been used as a solid acid catalyst for a variety of reactions concerning water. The Aciplex–SiO₂ composite containing 20 wt% Aciplex has a surface area of 1.3 m² g⁻¹ and possesses an ion-exchanged capacity of 0.46 meq. g⁻¹ after pretreatment at 423 K, which is higher than that of 13 wt% Nafion–SiO₂ (0.12 meq. g⁻¹). The acid strengths estimated from an initial heat of adsorption of NH₃ were similar for these polymer resin composites. It was found that the Aciplex–SiO₂ was more active than typical solid acids such as Cs_2.5H_0.5PW₁₂O₄₀, H-ZSM-5, and SO₄²⁻/ZrO₂ for hydrolysis of ethyl acetate in excess water and esterification of acrylic acid with 1-butanol, while it was less active than Cs_2.5H_0.5PW₁₂O₄₀ for N-alkylation of acrylonitrile with 1-adamantanol and solid–solid hydrolysis of 2-naphthyl acetate. The Aciplex–SiO₂ was superior in activity to Nafion–SiO₂ for all the above reactions and in thermal stability. These results indicate that Aciplex–SiO₂ is a promising solid acid catalyst for reactions involving liquid phase water.     

Syngas conversion using RhVO4 and Rh2MnO4 catalysts: Regeneration and redispersion of Rh metal by calcination and reduction treatments

The hydrogenation of CO over mixed oxides (RhVO₄, Rh₂MnO₄) supported on SiO₂ has been studied after H₂ reduction at 300°C and at 500°C, and the results compared with those of unpromoted Rh/SiO₂ catalysts. Rh was more highly dispersed (40 Å) after the decomposition of RhVO₄ by the H₂ reduction than those of Rh₂MnO₄/SiO₂ and unpromoted Rh/SiO₂ catalysts. The activity and the selectivity to C₂ oxygenates of the mixed-oxide catalysts after the H₂ reduction were higher than those of the unpromoted Rh/SiO₂ catalysts, but the activity of the RhVO₄/SiO₂ catalyst increased more dramatically after the decomposition by the H₂ reduction at 300°C, and hence the yield of C₂ oxygenates increased. These results suggest that a strong metal–oxide interaction (SMOI) was induced by the decomposition of the mixed oxides after the H₂ reduction. The catalytic activity and selectivity were reproduced repeatedly by the calcination and reduction treatments of the spent (used) catalyst because of the regeneration of RhVO₄ and redispersion of Rh metal.     

Use of unsupported and silica supported molybdenum carbide to treat chloroarene gas streams

The gas phase catalytic hydrodechlorination (HDC) of mono- and di-chlorobenzenes (423 K ≤ T ≤ 593 K) over unsupported and silica supported Mo carbide (Mo₂C) is presented as a viable means of detoxifying Cl-containing gas streams for the recovery/reuse of valuable chemical feedstock. The action of Mo₂C/SiO₂ is compared with MoO₃/SiO₂ and Ni/SiO₂ (an established HDC catalyst). The pre- and post-HDC catalyst samples have been characterized in terms of BET area, TG-MS, TPR, TEM, SEM, H₂ chemisorption/TPD and XRD analysis. Molybdenum carbide was prepared via a two step temperature programmed synthesis where MoO₃ was first subjected to a nitridation in NH₃ followed by carbidization in a CH₄/H₂ mixture to yield a face-centred cubic (-Mo₂C) structure characterized by a platelet morphology. Pseudo-first order kinetic analysis was used to obtain chlorobenzene HDC rate constants and the associated temperature dependences yielded apparent activation energies that decreased in the order MoO₃/SiO₂ (80 ± 5 kJ mol⁻¹) ≈ MoO₃ (78 ± 8 kJ mol⁻¹) > Ni/SiO₂ (62 ± 3 kJ mol⁻¹) ≈ -Mo₂C (56 ± 6 kJ mol⁻¹) ≈ -Mo₂C/SiO₂ (53 ± 3 kJ mol⁻¹). HDC activity was lower for the dechlorination of the dichlorobenzene reactants where steric hindrance influenced chloro-isomer reactivity. Supporting -Mo₂C on silica served to elevate HDC performance, but under identical reaction conditions, Ni/SiO₂ consistently delivered a higher initial HDC activity. Nevertheless, the decline in HDC performance with time-on-stream for Ni/SiO₂ was such that activity converged with that of -Mo₂C/SiO₂ after three reaction cycles. A temporal loss of HDC activity (less extreme for the carbides) was observed for each catalyst that was studied and is linked to a disruption to supply of surface active hydrogen as a result of prolonged Cl/catalyst interaction.     

Supermicroporous alumina–silica zinc oxides

A new family of porous mixed oxides with pores largely in the 8–20 Å range have been prepared. TEOS acts as a solvent and as a source of silica to which aluminum butoxide and transition metal acetates are added. Neutral amines are added as templates and to effect hydrolysis. This paper describes the ZnO–Al₂O₅–SiO₂ system but similar results have been obtained with other transition metal oxides. An interesting feature of the technique is that the larger the amine template the greater is the surface area of the mixed oxide with only a slight increase in the average pore diameter. Both NMR and atomic pair distribution functional methods have been used to prove the homogeneity of the mixed oxide products. This preparative method complements our earlier report in Chemical Communications on mixed oxides prepared with ZrO₂ and TiO₂ incorporating transition metal oxides.     

Support effects on structure and activity of molybdenum oxide catalysts for the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane

The structural and catalytic properties of MoO₃ catalysts supported on ZrO₂, Al₂O₃, TiO₂ and SiO₂ with Mo surface densities, n_s, in the range of 0.5–18.5 Mo/nm² were studied for the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of ethane by in situ Raman spectroscopy and catalytic activity measurements at temperatures of 400–540 °C. The molecular structure of the dispersed surface species evolves from isolated monomolybdates (MoO₄ and MoO₅, depending on the support) at low loadings to associated MoO_x units in polymolybdate chains at high loadings and ultimately to bulk crystalline phases for loadings exceeding the monolayer coverage of the supports used. The nature of the oxide support material and of the Mo–O–support bond has a significant influence on the catalytic behaviour of the molybdena catalysts with monolayer coverage. The dependence of reactivity on the support follows the order ZrO₂ > Al₂O₃ > TiO₂ > SiO₂. The oxygen site involved in the anchoring Mo–O–support is of relevance for the catalytic activity.     

Preparation of 1,3,5-tribenzylhexahydro-1,3,5-triazine-CrCl3 catalyst supported on SiO2 and activity studies in ethylene polymerization

In the present work, 1,3,5-tribenzylhexahydro-1,3,5-triazine-CrCl₃ (TAC-CrCl₃) complex was supported on Stöber silica and on commercial porous SiO₂. Ethylene polymerization and copolymerization were carried with methylaluminoxane (MAO) as co-catalyst. In the polymerization of ethylene, the silica-supported TAC-CrCl₃ catalysts exhibit activity values from 200 to 374 kg/molCr/h with Stöber silica being the best. In the co-polymerization of ethylene with 1-hexene, the yields of polymer are 34–117 kg/molCr/h; the highest value is again obtained with Stöber silica as a support. The polymers were characterized by X-ray diffraction, solid-state ¹³C NMR, viscosimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). The polymers have molecular weights of 23,000–40,000 g/mol; crystallinity varies from 60 to 68% and melting points in the range 125–131 °C.     

Some contributions of electron microscopy to the characterisation of the strong metal–support interaction effect

The contribution of electron microscopy techniques to establishing the existence and actual nature of the metal–support interaction effects occurring in a variety of supported metal catalysts is reviewed. Data pertaining to systems based on both classic reducible supports like TiO₂, CeO₂ or some ceria-based mixed oxides, and several others generally considered as non-reducible oxides, like La₂O₃ or SiO₂, are presented and discussed. The specific temperature and chemical conditions under which strong metal–support interaction phenomena are onset or reverted in each case are also analysed.

The whole set of data presented and discussed here clearly shows that the electron microscopy techniques have made an outstanding contribution to the characterisation of the strong metal/support interaction effects exhibited by different metal/oxide systems. Likewise, it is demonstrated that this powerful family of techniques has very much helped to discriminating between true SMSI-like phenomena, as originally defined by Tauster et al., and several other apparent effects which, though at a first sight show some of the chemical, nano-structural and/or catalytic characteristics of the SMSI effect, have a neatly different origin.     

Mullite based oxidation protection for SiC–C/C composites in air at temperatures up to 1900 K

For an industrial Si–SiC coated C/C material (reference material) the temperature dependence of the linear rate of mass loss is interpreted in the temperature range 773<T<1973 K. The Arrhenius plot of the thermogravimetrically determined oxidation rate shows four typical regimes. Only in the temperature range 1323<T<1823 K is the oxidation rate close to or lower than the limit for long-term application. Pulsed Laser Deposition (PLD) allows the ablation of nonconductive and high melting targets and the preparation of films with complex composition. High energy impact CO₂ laser pulses (j=3·10⁷ W cm⁻²) lead to melting and evaporation of the target material in a single step. Therefore the flux of the metal components is stoichiometric. Deposited green layers did not show IR peaks typical for mullite. After a short oxidation treatment (15 min at 1673 K) the formation of mullite in the coating was completed as was confirmed by IR spectroscopy and XRD investigations. Thin PLD-mullite layers (900 nm) did not markedly improve the oxidation resistance of the reference material in the high temperature range 1473<T<1973 K. However, a preoxidation treatment of the substrate material and mullite coatings with a thickness of 2·5 μm improved the oxidation behaviour significantly. Because of SiO₂ formation at the mullite–SiC interface all samples exhibited a mass increase on oxidation. The inward diffusion of oxygen across the outer mullite-containing layer controlled the kinetics of the reaction as was deduced from ¹⁸O diffusivity measurements in PLD mullite layers. The calculated oxidation rates resulting from the diffusion parameters in SiO₂ and mullite are close to the thermogravimetric data. For oxidation durations of three days only amorphous SiO₂ is formed at the mullite–SiC interface.     

Preparation and characterization of surface bond-conjugated TiO2/SiO2 and photocatalysis for azo dyes

Surface bond-conjugated TiO₂/SiO₂ was prepared by means of the impregnation method. Based on the results of XRD, FTIR, XPS and BET measurements, the growth of titania (predominantly anatase) on the silica substrate seems to occur by anchoring of the TiO₂ phase through Ti–O–Si cross-linking bonds. The structure model of TiO₂/SiO₂ was proposed. Compared to B–TiO₂, the most efficient catalyst is 30 wt.% TiO₂/SiO₂ (Ims30), which showed three times higher photoactivity for the degradation of reactive 15 (R15). In addition, the catalyst had a higher photoactivity on a silica of smaller particle size than on the silica of larger particles. Silica gel plays the basic role of dispersion and support for power TiO₂. The isoelectric point of the catalyst was 3.0 pH units by the measurement of zeta-potential, indicating the presence of the surface acidity of the catalyst. The photodegradation and the adsorption of R15 and cationic blue X-GRL (CBX) were investigated with the change of initial aqueous pH.     

Mesoporous molecular sieve MCM-41 supported Co–Mo catalyst for hydrodesulfurization of petroleum resids

In this work, we explored the potential of mesoporous zeolite-supported Co–Mo catalyst for hydrodesulfurization of petroleum resids, atmospheric and vacuum resids at 350–450°C under 6.9 MPa of H₂ pressure. A mesoporous molecular sieve of MCM-41 type was synthesized; which has SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratio of about 41. MCM-41 supported Co–Mo catalyst was prepared by co-impregnation of Co(NO₃)₂·6H₂O and (NH₄)₆Mo₇O₂₄ followed by calcination and sulfidation. Commercial Al₂O₃ supported Co–Mo (criterion 344TL) and dispersed ammonium tetrathiomolybdate (ATTM) were also tested for comparison purposes. The results indicated that Co–Mo/MCM-41(H) is active for HDS, but is not as good as commercial Co–Mo/Al₂O₃ for desulfurization of petroleum resids. It appears that the pore size of the synthesized MCM-41 (28 Å) is not large enough to convert large-sized molecules such as asphaltene present in the petroleum resids. Removing asphaltene from the resid prior to HDS has been found to improve the catalytic activity of Co–Mo/MCM-41(H). The use of ATTM is not as effective as that of Co–Mo catalysts, but is better for conversions of >540°C fraction as compared to noncatalytic runs at 400–450°C.     

Catalytic removal of perchloroethylene (PCE) over supported chromium oxide catalysts

The oxidation of perchloroethylene (PCE) was investigated over chromium oxide catalysts supported on SiO₂, SiO₂–Al₂O₃, activated carbon, mordenite type zeolites, MgO, TiO₂ and Al₂O₃. Supported chromium oxide catalysts were more active than any other metal oxide catalysts including noble metal examined in the present study. PCE removal activity of chromium oxide catalysts mainly depended on the type of supports and the content of metal loaded on the catalyst surface. TiO₂ and Al₂O₃ containing high surface areas were effective for the high performance of PCE removal, since the formation of well dispersed Cr(VI) active reaction sites for the present reaction system, was enhanced even for the high Cr loading on the catalyst surface. CrO_x catalysts supported on TiO₂ and Al₂O₃ also exhibited stable PCE removal activity at a low feed concentration of PCE of 30 ppm up to 100 h at 350°C. However, significant catalyst deactivation was observed at high PCE concentration of 10 000 ppm. CrO_x/TiO₂ revealed stronger water tolerance than CrO_x/Al₂O₃ due to the surface hydrophobicity.     

The dielectric properties and optical propagation loss of c-axis oriented ZnO thin films deposited by sol–gel process

The c-axis oriented ZnO thin films were prepared on various substrates by sol–gel processes. The stability of solution was examined through solvent and stabilizer. The c-axis orientation and grain size of films were increased with increasing of heat treatment temperature. The optical propogation losses of ZnO films deposited SiO₂/Si(111) substrates were measured using end-coupling method. The losses result in the scattering of the interface of ZnO/SiO₂, and the ZnO grain. Dielectric constant and resistivity of thin films deposited on Pt/SiO₂/Si(111) substrates are, respectively, in the range of 7–13 and 1.7×10⁴9.8×10⁵Ω cm.