Redox chemistry in excessively ion-exchanged Cu/Na-ZSM-5

The Oscillatory Behaviour of Cu-ZSM-5 Catalysts for N2O Decomposition: Investigation of Cu Species by Complementary Techniques

Copper-exchanged ZSM-5 (Cu-ZSM-5) is a promising catalyst thanks to the Cu redox pair. A particular feature of this material consists in the presence of spontaneous isothermal oscillations which take place during N2O decomposition reaction, depending on the operating conditions. In the present work, a set of five Cu-ZSM-5 catalysts was synthesised by three procedures and three different copper precursor concentrations: i) wet impregnation, ii) single ion exchange, and iii) double ion exchange. Catalytic tests revealed that the ion-exchanged samples exhibit a low catalytic activity and no oscillatory behaviour, except for the twice-exchanged sample which achieves an average N2O conversion of 26 % at 400 °C. Conversely, the impregnated samples reach higher levels of N2O conversion (66 % for Cu5ZSM5_WI and 72 % for Cu10ZSM5_WI) and demonstrate a similar oscillating pattern. Further investigations disclosed that the most active catalysts, characterised by the presence of oscillatory behaviour, have more abundant and easily reducible copper species (ICP, EDX and H2-TPR) which interact better with the zeolitic support (FT-IR). Catalytic tests under a long time on stream (TOS) suggest that either self-organised patterns or deterministic chaos can be achieved during the reaction, depending on the operating conditions, such as temperature and contact time.

Leaching Stability and Redox Activity of Copper-MFI Zeolites Prepared by Solid-State Transformations: Comparison with Ion-Exchanged and Impregnated Samples

The catalyst preparation route is well known to affect the copper loading and its electronic state, which influence the properties of the resulting catalyst. Electronic states of copper ions in copper-containing silicalites with the MFI-framework topology obtained by a solid-state transformation S (SST) were studied with using EPR, UV-Vis DR, XRD, H₂-TPR and chemical differentiating dissolution. They were compared with Cu-ZSM-5 and Cu-MFI (silicalite) prepared via the ion-exchange and incipient wetness impregnation. SST route was shown to provide the formation of MFI structure and favor clustering of Cu-ions near surface and subsurface of zeolite crystals. The square-planar oxide clusters of Cu²⁺-ions and the finely dispersed CuO nanoparticles with the size down to 20 nm were revealed in Cu-MFI-SST samples with low (0.5-1.0 wt.%) and high (16 wt.%) Cu-content. The CuO nanoparticles were characterized by energy band gap 1-1.16 eV. The CuO-like clusters were characterized by ligand-to-metal charge transfer band (CTB L → M) at 32,000 cm^-1 and contain EPR-visible surface Cu²⁺-ions. The low Cu-loaded SST-samples had poor redox properties and activity towards different solvents due to decoration of copper-species by silica; whereas CuO nanoparticles were easily removed from the catalyst by HCl. In the ion-exchanged samples over MFI-silicalite and ZSM-5, Cu²⁺-ions were mainly CuO-like clusters and isolated Cu²⁺ ions inside MFI channels. Their redox properties and tendency to dissolve in acidic solutions differed from the behavior of SST-series samples.

Purification of Hydrogen from CO with Cu/ZSM-5 Adsorbents

The transition to a hydrogen economy requires the development of cost-effective methods for purifying hydrogen from CO. In this study, we explore the possibilities of Cu/ZSM-5 as an adsorbent for this purpose. Samples obtained by cation exchange from aqueous solution (AE) and solid-state exchange with CuCl (SE) were characterized by in situ EPR and FTIR, H₂-TPR, CO-TPD, etc. The AE samples possess mainly isolated Cu²⁺ cations not adsorbing CO. Reduction generates Cu⁺ sites demonstrating different affinity to CO, with the strongest centres desorbing CO at about 350 °C. The SE samples have about twice higher Cu/Al ratios, as one H⁺ is exchanged with one Cu⁺ cation. Although some of the introduced Cu⁺ sites are oxidized to Cu²⁺ upon contact with air, they easily recover their original oxidation state after thermal treatment in vacuum or under inert gas stream. In addition, these Cu⁺ centres regenerate at relatively low temperatures. It is important that water does not block the CO adsorption sites because of the formation of Cu⁺(CO)(H₂O)_x complexes. Dynamic adsorption studies show that Cu/ZSM-5 selectively adsorbs CO in the presence of hydrogen. The results indicate that the SE samples are very perspective materials for purification of H₂ from CO.

Effect of Textural Properties and Presence of Co-Cation on NH3-SCR Activity of Cu-Exchanged ZSM-5

Comparative studies over micro-/mesoporous Cu-containing zeolites ZSM-5 prepared by top-down treatment involving NaOH, TPAOH or mixture of NaOH/TPAOH (tetrapropylammonium hydroxide) were conducted. The results of the catalytic data revealed the highest activity of the Cu-ZSM-5 catalyst both in the absence and presence of water vapor. The physico-chemical characterization (diffuse reflectance UV-Vis (DR UV-Vis), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, temperature-programmed desorption of NOx (TPD-NOx), and microkinetic modeling) results indicated that the microporous structure of ZSM-5 effectively stabilized isolated Cu ion monomers. Besides the attempts targeted to the modification of the textural properties of the parent ZSM-5, in the next approach, we studied the effect of the co-presence of sodium and copper cations in the microporous H-ZSM-5. The presence of co-cation promoted the evolution of [Cu–O–Cu]2+ dimers that bind NOx strongly with the desorption energy barrier of least 80 kJ mol−1. Water presence in the gas phase significantly decreases the rate of ammonia oxidation, while the reaction rates and activation energies of NH3-SCR remain unaffected.

Promoting Effect of Copper Loading and Mesoporosity on Cu-MOR in the Carbonylation of Dimethyl Ether to Methyl Acetate

Cu-mordenite (Cu-MOR) catalysts with different copper loadings were prepared, characterized and examined in continuous, gas-flow synthesis of methyl acetate (MA) by dimethyl ether (DME) carbonylation. Improved activity and selectivity were observed for Cu-MOR catalysts with up to 1 wt% Cu and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy and temperature-programmed reduction with hydrogen (H2-TPR) were used to elucidate the state of copper in the catalysts. Moreover, mesoporous MOR catalysts (RHMs) were prepared by mild stepwise recrystallization with X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) and ammonia temperature-programmed desorption (NH3-TPD) demonstrating the retained MOR structure and the acid property of the catalysts, respectively. The RHM catalysts showed improved lifetime compared to pristine MOR giving a yield up to 78% MA with 93% selectivity after 5 h on stream (GHSV = 6711 h−1). Under identical reaction conditions, 1 wt% Cu-RHM catalysts had an even higher catalytic activity and durability resulting in a MA yield of 90% with 97% selectivity for 7–8 h of operation as well as a lower coke formation.

On the Role of Protonic Acid Sites in Cu Loaded FAU31 Zeolite as a Catalyst for the Catalytic Transformation of Furfural to Furan

The aim of the present paper is to study the speciation and the role of different active site types (copper species and Brønsted acid sites) in the direct synthesis of furan from furfural catalyzed by copper-exchanged FAU31 zeolite. Four series of samples were prepared by using different conditions of post-synthesis treatment, which exhibit none, one or two types of active sites. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, low-temperature sorption of nitrogen, SEM, H₂-TPR, NMR and by means of IR spectroscopy with ammonia and CO sorption as probe molecules to assess the types of active sites. All catalyst underwent catalytic tests. The performed experiments allowed to propose the relation between the kind of active centers (Cu or Brønsted acid sites) and the type of detected products (2-metylfuran and furan) obtained in the studied reaction. It was found that the production of 2-methylfuran (in trace amounts) is determined by the presence of the redox-type centers, while the protonic acid sites are mainly responsible for the furan production and catalytic activity in the whole temperature range. All studied catalysts revealed very high susceptibility to coking due to polymerization of furfural.

Synthesis of Reduced Graphene Oxide as a Support for Nano Copper and Palladium/Copper Catalysts for Selective NO Reduction by CO

Copper and palladium/copper nanoparticles supported on reduced graphene oxide catalysts were synthesized and evaluated for the selective NO reduction by CO. The catalysts were characterized by XRD, nitrogen adsorption-desorption, TGA, XPS, TPR, in situ XRD, STEM, and HRTEM. The STEM and HRTEM results showed high metal oxide dispersions on the rGO. XPS results showed the presence of Cu and Pd oxide species. The reduction of copper supported on the rGO occurred in two steps for CuO _x /rGO_c, while that for CuO _x -PdO _y /rGO_c occurred in one step for temperatures lower than 350 °C. Noteworthy is that the in situ XRD results showed that the rGO structure was not affected after reduction at 350 °C. The in situ XRD of reduction revealed the appearance of new phases for copper during the reduction. The catalysts were evaluated in NO reduction by CO. The tests showed that the reduced catalysts presented high performance with NO conversions and N₂ selectivity above 85% at 350 °C.

Effect of copper ion-exchange on catalytic wet peroxide oxidation of phenol over ZSM-5 membrane

Cu-ZSM-5 zeolite membrane catalysts prepared by ion exchange method were synthesized on paper-like sintered stainless fibers (PSSFs) with three-dimensional net structure for the catalytic wet peroxide oxidation (CWPO) of phenol in structured fixed bed reactor. The experimental results exhibited that the BET of optimal catalyst was 165 m²/g with the ion exchange concentration of 0.1 M and time of 24 h, respectively, at temperature of 40 °C and one time ion exchange. The FT-IR results illustrated that band intensity was the lowest, and original Cu⁺ species and lattice oxygen were predominant in optimal catalyst according to the XPS results. Then, the effects of ion exchange concentration, time, temperature and times on catalytic performance of phenol were also investigated in structured fixed bed. It was found that the phenol was completely removed, TOC conversion (around 76.6%), high CO₂ selectivity (about 78%) and low copper leaching rate (about 30%) were achieved with only 1.91 wt% copper loading over the optimal catalyst. Finally, a reasonable reaction mechanism occurring in the presence of H₂O₂ for CWPO of phenol was proposed by analyzing the HPLC results, which indicated Fenton-like reactions were mainly based on the HO· production by catalytic decomposition of hydrogen peroxide with Cu⁺ species.

X-ray absorption spectroscopy principles and practical use in materials analysis

The X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (XAFS) with its subregions X-ray Absorption Near-edge Structure (XANES) and Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure (EXAFS) is a powerful tool for the structural analysis of materials, which is nowadays a standard component of research strategies in many fields. This review covers a wide range of topics related to its measurement and use: the origin of the fine structure, its analytical potential, derived from the physical basis, the environment for measuring XAFS at synchrotrons, including different measurement geometries, detection modes, and sample environments, e. g. for in-situ and operando work, the principles of data reduction, analysis, and interpretation, and a perspective on new methods for structure analysis combining X-ray absorption with X-ray emission. Examples for the application of XAFS have been selected from work with heterogeneous catalysts with the intention to demonstrate the strength of the method providing structural information about highly disperse and disordered systems, to illustrate pitfalls in the interpretation of results (e. g. by neglecting the averaged character of the information obtained) and to show how its merits can be further enhanced by combination with other methods of structural analysis and/or spectroscopy.

Effect of Hydrothermal Aging Treatment on Decomposition of NO by Cu-ZSM-5 and Modified Mechanism of Doping Ce against This Influence

Cu-ZSM-5 and Ce-doped Cu-Ce-ZSM-5 samples were prepared by liquid-phase ion exchange method. The two catalysts were subjected to hydrothermal aging treatment in the simulated flue gas of a coal-fired power station at an ageing temperature of 650-850 °C. The denitration experiment found that the activity of the aged Cu-ZSM-5 was 19.6% to 41% lower than that of the fresh Cu-ZSM-5 at the optimal decomposition temperature of NO at 550 °C, while the aged Cu-Ce-ZSM-5 had only a 14.8% to 31.5% reduction in activity than the fresh Cu-Ce-ZSM-5. The samples were characterized by XRD, BET, H₂-TPR, XPS, NO-TPD, etc. The results showed that hydrothermal aging treatment leads to the dealumination of the ZSM-5 framework and reduces the specific surface area and pore volume of the micropore in the sample. It also exacerbates the isolated Cu²⁺, and the active center {Cu²⁺-O^2--Cu²⁺}²⁺ dimers migrate towards the sample surface and form inactive CuO. Doping with Ce can promote the dispersion of Cu(OH)⁺, which was the precursor of {Cu²⁺-O^2--Cu²⁺}²⁺. Ce³⁺ can preferentially occupy the less active bridged hydroxyl exchange sites, so that copper ions occupy the more active aluminum hydroxyl sites, thereby inhibiting the migration of active centers.

Cu oxo nanoclusters for direct oxidation of methane to methanol: formation, structure and catalytic performance

Cu oxo nanoclusters hosted in microporous solids have emerged in the past decades as promising materials for catalyzing the selective conversion of methane to methanol.

IR Studies of the Cu Ions in Cu-Faujasites

The properties of Cu ions in dealuminated faujasite-type zeolites (Si/Al = 31) containing 1, 2, and 5 wt.% of Cu were investigated by IR spectroscopy with CO and NO as probe molecules. Cu was introduced by impregnation into zeolites in both protonic (HFAU) and sodium (NaFAU) forms of zeolite. Four kinds of Cu species were found: Cu+exch., Cu+oxide, Cu2+exch. (square, planar, and square pyramidal), and Cu2+oxide (CuO). The proportions between these four kinds of Cu depended on the amount of Cu and on the form of zeolite to which Cu was introduced (HFAU or NaFAU). Zeolites with 1 wt.% of Cu introduced to HFAU (denoted as Cu(1)HFAU) contained only Cu+exch., whereas other forms of Cu were present in zeolites of higher Cu contents. The concentration of Cu+exch. was determined by quantitative IR studies of CO adsorption. According to the IR results, some Cu ions were situated inside hexagonal prisms and/or cuboctahedra, and were inaccessible to adsorbed molecules. IR studies also evidenced that Cu ions in oxide forms-Cu+oxide and Cu2+oxide (CuO)-were better electron donors than Cu in exchange positions (Cu+exch. and Cu2+exch).

The effect of preparation methods on the thermal and chemical reducibility of Cu in Cu-Al oxides

The influence of the preparation methods on the physicochemical properties of Cu and Al oxides was studied. Four different preparation methods were used to synthesize the oxides (catalysts): co-precipitation by the hydrotalcite precursor route (CuAl-HT-c), the solid-state reaction route (CuAl-s), the physical mixing of the oxides (CuAl-o), and individual oxide precipitation followed by physical mixing (CuAl-p). Chemical analysis, X-ray diffraction and textural analysis results of the precursor CuAl-HT-c showed that the respective preparation method is efficient to obtain the hydrotalcite phase with high purity as well as generating a mixed oxide with the greatest surface area among all of the catalysts in this study. The efficacy of this method should be highlighted as it is very difficult to obtain high purity hydrotalcites with copper and aluminum. Furthermore, through the evolution of the FWHM with temperature, this method provided a structurally and texturally more stable mixed oxide. The thermal reducibility of the CuAl-HT-c catalyst was also much higher than that observed in the Cu and Al oxides prepared by other methods. Under an He flow, the CuAl-HT-c catalyst showed a significant reduction of CuO starting at 440 °C, with the formation of Cu2O and metallic Cu, confirmed by XRD and XANES, both in situ. When investigating the effect of the pretreatment gas for this catalyst, H2 reduction occurs faster than with CO, and with less Cu+ formation. Thus, Cu and Al mixed oxides obtained from a precursor with the hydrotalcite structure showed advantages over other methods, presenting unique textural and reducibility properties.

Revisiting copper reduction in zeolites: the impact of autoreduction and sample synthesis procedure

At least two distinct processes occur during heating of the copper-exchanged mordenite in oxygen-free environment: reaction with carbonaceous impurities and autoreduction.

Cu-CHA – a model system for applied selective redox catalysis

We review the structural chemistry and reactivity of copper-exchanged molecular sieves with chabazite (CHA) topology, as an industrially applied catalyst in ammonia mediated reduction of harmful nitrogen oxides (NH₃-SCR) and as a general model system for red-ox active materials (also the recent results in the direct conversion of methane to methanol are considered).

Effect of various structure directing agents (SDAs) on low-temperature deactivation of Cu/SAPO-34 during NH3-SCR reaction

Cu/SAPO-34(TEA) only exhibited minor deactivation and mostly recovered its original activities, while Cu/SAPO-34(MO) showed major deactivation and was not fully regenerated during low temperature NH₃-SCR reaction.

Bis(μ-oxo) versus mono(μ-oxo)dicopper cores in a zeolite for converting methane to methanol: an in situ XAS and DFT investigation

The zeolite framework stabilizes the mono(μ-oxo)dicopper core, which is the active species in methane to methanol conversion.

CuH-ZSM-5 as hydrocarbon trap under cold start conditions

Cold start tests are carried out to evaluate the performance of copper-exchanged zeolites as hydrocarbon traps under simulated gasoline car exhaust gases, paying special attention to the role of copper in the performance of these zeolites. It is concluded that the partial substitution of the protons in the parent H-ZSM-5 zeolite is highly beneficial for hydrocarbon trapping due to the formation of selective adsorption sites with specific affinity for the different exhaust components. However, it is also observed that uncontrolled exchanging process conditions could lead to the presence of CuO nanoparticles in the zeolite surface, which seem to block the pore structure of the zeolite, decreasing the hydrocarbon trap efficiency. Among all the zeolites studied, the results point out that a CuH-ZSM-5 with a partial substitution of extra-framework protons by copper cations and without any detectable surface CuO nanoparticles is the zeolite that showed the best performance under simulated cold start conditions due to both the high stability and the hydrocarbon retaining capacity of this sample during the consecutive cycles.

Transition-metal ions in zeolites: coordination and activation of oxygen

Zeolites containing transition-metal ions (TMIs) often show promising activity as heterogeneous catalysts in pollution abatement and selective oxidation reactions. In this paper, two aspects of research on the TMIs Cu, Co, and Fe in zeolites are discussed: (i) coordination to the lattice and (ii) activated oxygen species. At low loading, TMIs preferably occupy exchange sites in six-membered oxygen rings (6MR), where the TMIs preferentially coordinate with the O atoms of Al tetrahedra. High TMI loadings result in a variety of TMI species formed at the zeolite surface. Removal of the extralattice O atoms during high-temperature pretreatments can result in autoreduction. Oxidation of reduced TMI sites often results in the formation of highly reactive oxygen species. In Cu-ZSM-5, calcination with O(2) results in the formation of a species, which was found to be a crucial intermediate in both the direct decomposition of NO and N(2)O and the selective oxidation of methane into methanol. An activated oxygen species, called alpha-O, is formed in Fe-ZSM5 and reported to be the active site in the partial oxidation of methane and benzene into methanol and phenol, respectively. However, this reactive alpha-O can only be formed with N(2)O, not with O(2). O(2)-activated Co intermediates in faujasite (FAU) zeolites can selectively oxidize alpha-pinene and epoxidize styrene. In Co-FAU, Co(III) superoxo and peroxo complexes are suggested to be the active cores, whereas in Cu and Fe-ZSM-5, various monomeric and dimeric sites have been proposed, but no consensus has been obtained. Very recently, the active site in Cu-ZSM-5 was identified as a bent [Cu-O-Cu](2+) core (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 2009, 106, 18908-18913). Overall, O(2) activation depends on the interplay of structural factors such as the type of zeolite and sizes of the channels and cages and chemical factors such as the Si/Al ratio and the nature, charge, and distribution of the charge-balancing cations. The presence of several different TMI sites hinders the direct study of the spectroscopic features of the active site. Spectroscopic techniques capable of selectively probing these sites, even if they only constitute a minor fraction of the total amount of TMI sites, are thus required. Fundamental knowledge of the geometric and electronic structures of the reactive active site can help in the design of novel selective oxidation catalysts.