Nickel-Decorated Mesoporous Iron-Cerium Mixed Oxides: Microstructure and Catalytic Activity in Methanol Decomposition.

Nickel-decorated mesoporous cerium-iron oxide composites were synthesized by a combination of incipient wetness impregnation and template-assisted hydrothermal techniques. The effects of the Fe/Ce ratio and the calcination temperature of cerium-iron oxides on the phase composition, texture, structure, and redox properties of the composites were studied by a combination of N2 physisorption, XRD, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, SEM, Mössbauer, Raman, XPS, ultraviolet-visible and FTIR spectroscopies, H2-temperature-programmed reduction, and total oxidation of ethyl acetate as a catalytic test. The combined physicochemical characterization and in situ FTIR investigation of methanol decomposition was used for a proper understanding of the microstructure of the Ni/FeCe oxide composites and the mechanism of the reaction occurring on them. The complex role of the FeCe support in the stabilization of highly dispersed Ni particles, the generation of surface intermediates, and the impact of the support phase transformation under the reaction medium are discussed.

Formation of Catalytic Active Sites in Hydrothermally Obtained Binary Ceria-Iron Oxides: Composition and Preparation Effects.

A series of mesoporous cerium-iron binary oxides was prepared by a hydrothermal technique using CTAB as a template. The influence of the Fe/Ce ratio and the variations in the preparation techniques such as the type of solvent and the precipitation agent, the approach of the template release, and the temperature of calcination on the phase composition, textural, structural, surface, and redox properties of the obtained materials was studied in details by XRD, nitrogen physisorption, TPR, FTIR, UV-vis, XPS, Raman, and Moessbauer spectroscopies. The materials were tested as catalysts in methanol decomposition and total oxidation of ethyl acetate. It was assumed that the binary materials represented a complex mixture of differently substituted ceria- and hematite-like phases. Critical assessment of their formation on the base of a common mechanism scheme was proposed. This scheme declares the key role of the formation of shared Ce-O-Fe structures by insertion of Fe3+ in the ceria lattice and further competitive compensation of the lattice charge balance by the existing in the system ions, which could be controlled by the Fe/Ce ratio and the hydrothermal synthesis procedure used. This mechanism provides proper understanding and regulation of the catalytic behavior of cerium-iron oxide composites in methanol decomposition with a potential for hydrogen production and total oxidation of ethyl acetate as a model of VOCs.

Silica supported copper and cerium oxide catalysts for ethyl acetate oxidation.

The formation of active sites in the silica supported copper and cerium oxide bi-component catalysts for total oxidation of ethyl acetate was studied by Nitrogen physisorption, XRD, XPS, UV-Vis, Raman, FTIR of adsorbed CO spectroscopies and TPR. It was found that the interaction between the copper oxide nanoparticles and the supported on the silica ceria ones is realized with the formation of interface layer of penetrated into ceria lattice copper ions in different oxidative state. This type of interaction improves the dispersion of copper oxide particles and provides higher accessibility of the reactants to the copper active sites even at low copper amount.

Nanostructured copper, chromium, and tin oxide multicomponent materials as catalysts for methanol decomposition: 11C-radiolabeling study.

Copper and chromium modified tin oxide nanocomposites were obtained via incipient wetness impregnation of high surface area nanosized SnO(2) with the corresponding metal acetylacetonates and their further decomposition in air. Powder X-ray diffraction (XRD), Nitrogen physisorption, UV-Vis, and Temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) with hydrogen were applied for the samples characterization. The catalytic activity of the obtained materials was tested in methanol conversion. A new approach based on the selective coverage of the surface with (11)C-methanol was used for the characterization of the catalytic sites. It was demonstrated that the products distribution could be controlled by the surface coverage with methanol and the role of different active sites was discussed. The modification of SnO(2) with copper oxide increased the activity in methanol decomposition to CO(2)via dioxymethylene intermediates, but the catalyst suffered considerable loss of activity due to the reduction transformations by the reaction medium and formation of an inactive intermetallic alloy. The modification with chromium changed the acid-basic properties of SnO(2) by the formation of Cr(2)O(3) nanoparticles as well as anchored to the support chromate species. The former particles facilitated the formation of dimethyl ether (DME), while the latter species converted methanol predominantly to hydrocarbons. The fraction of chromate species increased in Cu-Cr-Sn oxide multicomponent nanocomposites and promoted the formation of hydrocarbons over DME at low temperatures, while at higher temperatures, the activity of the copper species leading to CO(2) formation was more pronounced.

Cobalt-modified mesoporous MgO, ZrO2, and CeO2 oxides as catalysts for methanol decomposition.

Cobalt oxide-modified mesoporous CeO(2), ZrO(2), and MgO oxides and their SBA-15 silica analogues were prepared and characterized by XRD, TEM, N(2) physisorption, FTIR, and TPR-TG analysis. Their catalytic activity in methanol decomposition to CO and hydrogen was tested. The support effect on the state and catalytic behavior of the loaded cobalt oxide nanoparticles is discussed. The best catalytic activity and selectivity of methanol decomposition to CO and hydrogen are registered for Co/CeO(2).

Physicochemical and catalytic properties of grafted vanadium species on different mesoporous silicas.

Vanadium modified mesoporous silicas type MCM-41, MCM-48, and SBA-15 are obtained by a solid state method. The samples are characterized and compared at the different steps of their preparation by X-ray diffraction, N(2)-physisorption, FTIR, UV-vis, XPS, and TG-TPR. Samples catalytic activity is tested in ethylacetate oxidation. Formation of various vanadium species, mainly isolated and small oligomeric ones, grafted to the support surface silanol groups, is observed. It is found that the state and the properties of the vanadium species depend on the porous characteristics of the silica host matrix. The nature of the catalytic active center in the ethylacetate oxidation is discussed.

Iron-oxide-modified nanosized diamond: preparation, characterization, and catalytic properties in methanol decomposition.

Nanosized diamond (UDD), obtained by a detonation procedure, was modified with iron from the corresponding acetylacetonate precursor under various pretreatment conditions. Nitrogen physisorption, X-ray diffraction, temperature-programmed reduction, and FTIR and Mössbauer spectroscopy were used for their characterization. The samples' catalytic behavior in methanol decomposition was also studied. The physicochemical and catalytic properties of the obtained materials (Fe/UDD) were compared with those of other iron-oxide-modified mesoporous supports with different nature and functionality (MCM-48 silica and CMK-1 carbon). The highest catalytic activity and stability was achieved with air-pretreated Fe/UDD.

Iron oxide modified diamond blends containing ultradispersed diamond.

Iron oxide modified diamond blends containing different amounts of ultradispersed diamond were prepared and characterized by nitrogen physisorption, X-ray diffraction, temperature programmed reduction, Mössbauer and IR spectroscopy. The catalytic behavior of these composite materials in methanol decomposition to hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and methane has been also studied. The initial state and phase transformations of the supported highly dispersed iron oxide particles in various pretreatment media, as well as their reductive and catalytic properties, strongly depend on the ultradispersed diamond content in the diamond blends.