Catalytic Mechanism of Liquid-Metal Indium for Direct Dehydrogenative Conversion of Methane to Higher Hydrocarbons.

There is a great interest in direct conversion of methane to valuable chemicals. Recently, we reported that silica-supported liquid-metal indium catalysts (In/SiO2) were effective for direct dehydrogenative conversion of methane to higher hydrocarbons. However, the catalytic mechanism of liquid-metal indium has not been clear. Here, we show the catalytic mechanism of the In/SiO2 catalyst in terms of both experiments and calculations in detail. Kinetic studies clearly show that liquid-metal indium activates a C-H bond of methane and converts methane to ethane. The apparent activation energy of the In/SiO2 catalyst is 170 kJ mol-1, which is much lower than that of SiO2, 365 kJ mol-1. Temperature-programmed reactions in CH4, C2H6, and C2H4 and reactivity of C2H6 for the In/SiO2 catalyst indicate that indium selectively activates methane among hydrocarbons. In addition, density functional theory calculations and first-principles molecular dynamics calculations were performed to evaluate activation free energy for methane activation, its reverse reaction, CH3-CH3 coupling via Langmuir-Hinshelwood (LH) and Eley-Rideal mechanisms, and other side reactions. A qualitative level of interpretation is as follows. CH3-In and H-In species form after the activation of methane. The CH3-In species wander on liquid-metal indium surfaces and couple each other with ethane via the LH mechanism. The solubility of H species into the bulk phase of In is important to enhance the coupling of CH3-In species to C2H6 by decreasing the formation of CH4 though the coupling of CH3-In species and H-In species. Results of isotope experiments by combinations of CD4, CH4, D2, and H2 corresponded to the LH mechanism.

Removal of H2S to produce hydrogen in the presence of CO on a transition metal-doped ZSM-12 catalyst: a DFT mechanistic study.

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) leads to corrosion in transport lines and poisoning of many catalysts. Meanwhile, H2S is an inexhaustible potential source of hydrogen, which is a very valuable chemical reagent and an environmentally friendly energy product. Therefore, removal of H2S and producing hydrogen gas using potential catalysts has been intensively studied, according to the equation: H2S(g) + CO(g) → COS(g) + H2(g). In this study, hydrogen sulfide (H2S) decomposition in the presence of CO over transition metal-doped ZSM-12 clusters (TM-ZSM-12) has been investigated based on DFT calculations at the B3LYP-D3/6-31G(d,p) level. The calculation results reveal that the proposed reaction mechanism is controlled by 4 key steps, (i) hydrogen dissociation (Ea1 = +0.04 eV for the 1st hydrogen and Ea2 = +0.22 eV for the 2nd hydrogen), (ii) COS desorption (the rate-determining step of this H2S removal process, Edes = +1.18 eV), (iii) hydrogen diffusion to the transition metal with an energy barrier (Ea3) of +0.62 eV, and (iv) the H2 formation step (Ea4 = +0.94 eV). Our results indicate that in the presence of CO, the Cu-ZSM-12 cluster has a potential application as a highly active catalyst for H2S removal together with hydrogen production.

Influence of hydrogen spillover on Pt-decorated carbon nanocones for enhancing hydrogen storage capacity: A DFT mechanistic study.

We used density functional theory (DFT) to investigate hydrogen adsorption and diffusion on platinum-decorated carbon nanocones (Pt-CNCs). The curvature presented in the conical section of CNC materials affects the Pt binding stability. The role of Pt atoms as an active catalyst for H2 adsorption and dissociation has been investigated in perfect Pt-4CNC and defect Pt-v4CNC systems. Then, the spillover mechanism of dissociated hydrogen atoms in Pt-v4CNC is explored via two reaction steps: (i) H-migration from Pt to carbon atoms and (ii) H-diffusion via the C-C route throughout the CNC surface. Our results show that the presence of the hydrogen atom on the Pt catalyst can efficiently induce the H-diffusion process through the C-C surface, and the Pt-H bond significantly facilitates the H-migration from C-H bonds near to the active Pt catalyst to the adjacent carbon atom with an energy barrier <0.5 eV under ambient conditions. Altogether, the theoretical results support the concept of the spillover mechanism as a key process for enhancing the hydrogen storage capacity of metal-decorated CNCs. These results improve our understanding about the hydrogen spillover mechanism and the catalytic reactions which are very important for the development of highly efficient hydrogen storage materials.

Zinc-porphyrin dyes with different meso-aryl substituents for dye-sensitized solar cells: experimental and theoretical studies.

A series of new zinc-porphyrin dyes that contain different meso substituents (phenyl, carbazole phenyl, and carbazole thiophenyl groups) and bithiophenyl cyanoacrylic acid as the π-conjugated anchoring moiety were designed, synthesized, and characterized as sensitizers for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The effects of these meso substituents on the properties of the porphyrin dyes were theoretically and experimentally investigated. By meso substitution of the porphyrin ring with carbazole-aryl moieties, the short-circuit current (Jsc ) and open-circuit voltage (Voc ) of the DSSCs were improved as was the power conversion efficiency (η) owing to the influence of both the suppression of dye aggregations and the enhanced charge separation and charge-injection efficiency of the dye to TiO2 films. Among these dyes, ZnPCPA made of the carbazole phenyl meso substituents gave rise to the highest η of 6.24 % (Jsc =13.38 mA cm(-2) , Voc =0.66 V, and fill factor of 0.71).

An efficient solution processed non-doped red emitter based on carbazole-triphenylamine end-capped di(thiophen-2-yl)benzothiadiazole for pure red organic light-emitting diodes.

New carbazole-triphenylamine end-capped di(thiophen-2-yl)benzothiadiazole showed high thermal and electrochemical stability, and great potential as a solution processed hole-transporting non-doped red emitter for OLEDs. A pure red device with CIE coordinates and a high luminance efficiency of (0.66, 0.33) and 3.97 cd A(-1), respectively, was achieved.