Energy-resolved electron-yield XAS studies of nanoporous CoAlPO-18 and CoAlPO-34 catalysts.

Energy-resolved electron-yield X-ray absorption spectroscopy is a promising technique for probing the near-surface structure of nanomaterials because of its ability to discriminate between the near-surface and bulk of materials. So far, the technique has only been used in model systems. Here, the local structural characterization of nanoporous cobalt-substituted aluminophosphates is reported and it is shown that the technique can be employed for the study of open-framework catalytically active systems. Evidence that the cobalt ions on the surface of the crystals react differently to those in the bulk is found.

Control of physicochemical properties and catalytic activity of tris(2,2'-bipyridine)iron(II) encapsulated within the zeolite Y cavity by alkaline earth metal cations.

A series of materials containing the tris(2,2'-bipyridine)iron(ii) (Fe(bpy)3(2+)) complex inside zeolite Y cavities with alkaline earth metals (Mg(2+), Ca(2+), Sr(2+), Ba(2+)) as charge compensating cations have been synthesized via a "ship in the bottle" method. The influence of the alkaline earth metal cations on the physicochemical properties and catalytic activity was investigated. The successful formation of the Fe(bpy)3(2+) complex was verified by XRD, diffuse-reflectance UV-vis spectroscopy, and Fe K-edge XAFS measurements. The BET surface area and the Fe content decreased in the presence of the larger alkaline earth metal, but the intensity of the MLCT adsorption band of Fe(bpy)3(2+) increased with the heavier cation. The electron density of the Fe atoms decreased, and the average interatomic bond distance Fe-N/O and the coordination number increased with the heavier alkaline earth metal cation. The encapsulation of Fe(bpy)3(2+) resulted in the creation of a photocatalytic system able to oxidize styrene to benzaldehyde and styrene oxide under visible light irradiation (λ > 430 nm) in the presence of molecular oxygen.

Tracking the structural changes in pure and heteroatom substituted aluminophosphate, AIPO-18, using synchrotron based X-ray diffraction techniques.

We report the structural changes that occur during the thermal removal of organic template molecules that occlude the pores of small pore nanoporous zeolitic solids, AlPO-18, SAPO-18, CoAlPO-18, ZnAlPO-18 and CoSAPO-18. The calcination process is a necessary step in the formation of active catalysts. The studies performed using time-resolved High Resolution Powder Diffraction (HRPD) and High Energy X-ray Diffraction (HEXRD) techniques at various temperatures reveal that changes that take place are dependent on the type of heteroatom present in the nanoporous solids. While time-resolved HRPD shows clear changes in lattice parameters during the removal of physisorbed water molecules and subsequent removal of the organic template, HEXRD data show changes in various near neighbour distances in AlPO-18, SAPO-18, CoAlPO-18, CoSAPO-18 and ZnAlPO-18 during the calcination process. In particular HEXRD reveals the presence of water molecules coordinated to Al(III) ions in the as-synthesised materials. Upon removal of the template and water, these solids show contraction in the cell volume at elevated temperatures while first and second neighbour distances remained almost unchanged.

What are the active species in the photoinduced H2 production with terpyridyl Pt(II) complexes? An investigation by in situ XAFS.

Origin of the species: In situ X-ray absorption measurements show that monomeric Pt(II) species are the active components for photocatalytic H2 evolution under visible-light illumination for both [PtCl(tpy)]Cl on its own and a three-component system comprising Ru(bpy)3Cl2, MV(2+) and [PtCl(tpy)]Cl in the presence of a sacrificial electron donor (EDTA).