Simulating infrared spectra and hydrogen bonding in cellulose Iß at elevated temperatures.

We have modeled the transformation of cellulose Iß to a high temperature (550 K) structure, which is considered to be the first step in cellulose pyrolysis. We have performed molecular dynamics simulations at constant pressure using the GROMOS 45a4 united atom forcefield. To test the forcefield, we computed the density, thermal expansion coefficient, total dipole moment, and dielectric constant of cellulose Iß, finding broad agreement with experimental results. We computed infrared (IR) spectra of cellulose Iß over the range 300-550 K as a probe of hydrogen bonding. Computed IR spectra were found to agree semi-quantitatively with experiment, especially in the O-H stretching region. We assigned O-H stretches using a novel synthesis of normal mode analysis and power spectrum methods. Simulated IR spectra at elevated temperatures suggest a structural transformation above 450 K, a result in agreement with experimental IR results. The low-temperature (300-400 K) structure of cellulose Iß is dominated by intrachain hydrogen bonds, whereas in the high-temperature structure (450-550 K), many of these transform to longer, weaker interchain hydrogen bonds. A three-dimensional hydrogen bonding network emerges at high temperatures due to formation of new interchain hydrogen bonds, which may explain the stability of the cellulose structure at such high temperatures.

Searching for microporous, strongly basic catalysts: experimental and calculated 29Si NMR spectra of heavily nitrogen-doped Y zeolites.

Nitrogen substituted zeolites with high crystallinity and microporosity are obtained by nitrogen substitution for oxygen in zeolite Y. The substitution reaction is performed under ammonia flow by varying the temperature and reaction time. We examine the effect of aluminum content and charge-compensating cation (H(+)/Na(+)/NH(4)(+)) on the degree of nitrogen substitution and on the preference for substitution of Si-O-Al vs Si-O-Si linkages in the FAU zeolite structure. Silicon-29 magic angle spinning (MAS) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and (1)H/(29)Si cross-polarization MAS NMR spectroscopy have been used to probe the different local environments of the nitrogen-substituted zeolites. Experimental data are compared to simulated NMR spectra obtained by constructing a compendium (>100) of zeolite clusters with and without nitrogen, and by performing quantum calculations of chemical shifts for the NMR-active nuclei in each cluster. The simulated NMR spectra, which assume peak intensities predicted by statistical analysis, agree remarkably well with the experimental data. The results show that high levels of nitrogen substitution can be achieved while maintaining porosity, particularly for NaY and low-aluminum HY materials, without significant loss in crystallinity. Experiments performed at lower temperatures (750-800 degrees C) show a preference for substitution at Si-OH-Al sites. No preference is seen for reactions performed at higher temperatures and longer reaction times (e.g., 850 degrees C and 48 h).

Microwave synthesis of zeolites: effect of power delivery.

The effect of microwave power magnitude and pulsing frequency on the synthesis enhancement of zeolites, silicoaluminophosphate SAPO-11, silicalite, and NaY, was studied. Pulsing the microwave power compared to continuous delivery at the same averaged fed microwave power showed no effect on the nucleation and crystallization rates of SAPO-11, silicalite, or NaY. However, SAPO-11 synthesized with continuous microwave power delivery produced larger particles compared to pulsed microwave power with the same reaction time (3.77 microm for continuous versus 2.49 microm for pulsed 1 s on; 3 s off). Further, pulsed microwave power delivery used lower steady state power to maintain the same reaction temperature compared to continuous power delivery (55 W compared to 65 W, respectively). The microwave power used to heat the reaction precursors of SAPO-11 and silicalite was varied by applying cooling gas at various rates while maintaining the reaction temperatures. Significant enhancement of the crystallization rate for SAPO-11 was observed with increasing the fed microwave power (0.014 min(-1) at 65 W, 0.030 min(-1) at 130 W, and 0.066 min(-1) at 210 W), with little effect on the nucleation time. The crystallization rate to microwave power relation was found to obey a power curve (y = 0.4259x(2) - 0.2776x + 0.8517). Lower microwave power produced larger crystals but required longer reaction time to complete crystallization (3.77 microm at 65 W compared to 2.04 microm at 210 W). Conversely, silicalite synthesis at 150 degrees C was found to be independent of the magnitude of the applied microwave power.

Simulating microwave-heated open systems: tuning competitive sorption in zeolites.

We have developed a new grand canonical molecular dynamics (GCMD) algorithm to study microwave (MW) heating effects on competitive mixture sorption and have applied the method to methanol and benzene in silicalite zeolite. The new algorithm combines MW-driven molecular dynamics with grand canonical Monte Carlo (GCMC), the latter modeling adsorption/desorption processes. We established the validity of the new algorithm by benchmarking single-component isotherms for methanol and benzene in silicalite against those obtained from standard GCMC, as well as against experimental data. We simulated single-component and mixture adsorption isobars for conventional and MW-heated systems. In the case of the single-component isobars, we found that for dipolar methanol, both the MW and conventional heated isobars show similar desorption behavior, displaying comparable loadings as a function of molecular temperature. In contrast, nonpolar benzene showed no desorption upon exposure to MWs, even for relatively high field strengths. In the case of methanol/benzene mixtures, the fact that benzene is transparent to the MW field allows the selective desorption of methanol, giving rise to loading ratios not reachable through conventional heating.

Spectroscopic signatures of nitrogen-substituted zeolites.

Nanoporous acid catalysts such as zeolites form the backbone of catalytic technologies for refining petroleum. With the promise of a biomass economy, new catalyst systems will have to be discovered, making shape-selective base catalysts especially important because of the high oxygen content in biomass-derived feedstocks. Strongly basic zeolites are attractive candidates, but such materials are notoriously difficult to make due to the strong inherent acidity of aluminosilicates. Several research groups have endeavored to produce strongly basic zeolites by treating zeolites with amines, but to date there is no compelling evidence that nitrogen is incorporated into zeolite frameworks. In this communication, we detail synthesis, NMR spectroscopy, and quantum mechanical calculations showing that nitrogen adds onto both surface and interior sites while preserving the framework structure of zeolites. This finding is crucial for the rational design of new biomass-refinement catalysts, allowing 50 years of zeolite science to be brought to bear on the catalytic synthesis of biofuels.

Microwave synthesis of zeolites. 2. Effect of vessel size, precursor volume, and irradiation method.

The enhancement of synthesis reactions under microwave heating is dependent on many complex factors. We investigated the importance of several reaction engineering parameters relevant to microwave synthesis. Of interest to this investigation were the reaction vessel size, volume of precursor reacted, microwave power delivery, and microwave cavity design. The syntheses of NaY zeolite and beta-zeolite were carried out under a number of varying conditions to determine the influence of these parameters on the nucleation rate, the crystallization rate, and the particle size and morphology. The rates of NaY and beta-zeolite nucleation and crystallization were more rapid in the multimode CEM MARS-5 oven compared to the more uniform field CEM Discover. The faster synthesis rate in the MARS-5 may be the result of the multimode microwave electric field distribution. Slower rates of NaY and beta-zeolite formation observed in the Discover and a circular waveguide may be the result of a more uniform microwave electric field distribution. Changes in reaction vessel size and precursor volume during the microwave synthesis of beta- and NaY zeolite were found to influence the rate of zeolite formation. These results indicate that reactor geometry needs to be considered in the design of systems used for microwave synthesis. Comparative synthesis reactions were carried out with conventional heating, and microwave heating was shown to be up to over an order of magnitude faster for most of these syntheses.

Physical adsorption analysis of intact supported MFI zeolite membranes.

We compare the adsorption properties of intact supported silicalite membranes with those of silicalite powder and of alumina supports using nitrogen and argon as adsorbates at 77 K. We disentangle contributions from the membrane and support and find that the support contributes significantly to the total quantity adsorbed due to its relative thickness. The micropore-filling regions of the adsorption isotherms of the powder and the supported membrane are nearly identical for the membranes studied, but the isotherms differ at higher pressures--the supported membranes exhibit a much higher quantity adsorbed than the powders. Despite this difference, no hysteresis is observed in the membrane isotherms, indicating a lack of mesoporosity (pores in the 2-50 nm range) in either membrane or support for this preparation. We estimate argon transport fluxes at steady state by assuming surface diffusion with both a constant and concentration-dependent Maxwell-Stefan diffusion coefficient in the zeolite and the support. Further, we use the respective adsorption isotherms to determine the thermodynamic correction factors--that is, the ratios of the Fick and Maxwell-Stefan diffusion coefficients--required to solve the diffusion equation. The estimated argon flux is virtually the same using adsorption data from powders and membranes. For the relatively thick supports used in our study (approximately 2 mm), we find that the support exerts a much greater influence on the predicted fluxes for a wide range of values of the ratio of the support to zeolite diffusion coefficients. We emphasize that the results are specific to the architecture of the supported membranes studied, and thus, the results should be interpreted accordingly.