One-Pot Synthesis and Characterization of Cu-SBA-16 Mesoporous Molecular Sieves as an Excellent Catalyst for Phenol Hydroxylation

Structural/surface characterization of transition metal element-doped H-ZSM-5 adsorbent for CH3SH removal: identification of active adsorption sites and deactivation mechanism

CH3SH is a potential hazard to both chemical production and human health, so controlling its emissions is an urgent priority. In this work, a series of transition metal-loaded H-ZSM-5 adsorbents (Si/Al = 25) (Cu, Fe, Co, Ni, Mn, and Zn) were synthesized through the wet impregnation method and tested for CH3SH physicochemical adsorption at 60 °C. It was shown that the Cu-modified H-ZSM-5 adsorbent was much more active for CH3SH removal due to its abundant strong acid sites than other transition metal-modified H-ZSM-5 adsorbents. The detailed physicochemical properties of various modified H-ZSM-5 adsorbents were characterized by SEM, XRD, N2 physisorption, XPS, H2-TPR, and NH3-TPD. The effects of metal loading mass ratio, calcination temperature, and acid or alkali modification on the performance of the adsorbent were also investigated, and finally 20% Cu/ZSM-5 was found to have the best adsorption capacity after calcined at 350 °C. Additionally, the Cu/ZSM-5 adsorbent modified by sodium bicarbonate could expose more active components, which improved the adsorbent's stability. However, the consumption and reduction of the active component Cu2+ and the accumulation of sulfate during the adsorption process are the main reasons for the deactivation of the adsorbent. In addition, the simultaneous purging of N2 + O2 can effectively restore the adsorption capacity of the deactivated adsorbent and can be used as a potential strategy to regenerate the adsorbent.

Two Birds with One Stone: Copper-Based Adsorbents Used for Photocatalytic Oxidation of Hg0 (Gas) after Removal of PH3

Cu_X/TiO₂ adsorbents with CuO as the active component were prepared via a simple impregnation method for efficient purification of phosphine (PH₃) under the conditions of low temperatures (90 °C) and low oxygen concentration (1%). The PH₃ breakthrough capacity of optimal adsorbent (Cu₃₀/TiO₂) is 136.2 mg(PH₃)·g_sorbent^-1, and the excellent dephosphorization performance is mainly attributed to its abundant sur face-active oxygen and alkaline sites, large specific surface area, and strong interaction between CuO and the support TiO₂. Surprisingly, CuO is converted to Cu₃P after the dephosphorization by Cu_X/TiO₂. Since Cu₃P is a P-type semiconductor with high added value, the deactivated adsorbent (Cu₃P/TiO₂) is an efficient heterostructure photocatalyst for photocatalytic removal of Hg⁰ (gas) with the Hg⁰ removal performance of 92.64% under visible light. This study provides a feasible strategy for the efficient removal and resource conversion of PH₃ under low-temperature conditions and the alleviation of the environmental risk of secondary pollution.

Metal Ion-Catalyzed Low-Temperature Curing of Urushiol-Based Polybenzoxazine

In this work, urushiol-based polybenzoxazine is cured by the Lewis acid (FeCl₃, AlCl_3, and CuCl₂) at low temperature instead of high thermal curing temperature. The effect of the Lewis acid on structures and properties of the polymers is revealed. The relating urushiol-based benzoxazine monomer (BZ) was synthesized by natural urushiol, formaldehyde, and n-octylamine. The monomer was reacted with the Lewis acid with a molar ratio of 6:1 (N_monomer: N_Metal) at 80°C to obtain films that can be cured at room temperature. The chemical structures of benzoxazine monomers were identified by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and ¹H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (¹H-NMR). The interaction between the metal ion and the polymers is revealed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and attenuated total reflectance-FTIR (ATR-FTIR). The effect of the Lewis acid on the mechanical properties, wettability, and thermal stability was investigated. The results show that the benzoxazine cured by Cu²⁺ has a better performance than that cured by Al³⁺ and Fe³⁺.

A Type of MOF-Derived Porous Carbon with Low Cost as an Efficient Catalyst for Phenol Hydroxylation

Using MOF-5 as a template, the porous carbon (MDPC-600) possessing high specific surface area was obtained after carbonization and acid washing. After MDPC-600 was loaded with Cu ions, the catalyst Cu/MDPC-600 was acquired by heat treatment under nitrogen atmosphere. The catalyst was characterized by X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), N2 physical adsorption (BET), field emission electron microscope (SEM), energy spectrum, and transmission electron microscope (TEM). The results show that the Cu/MDPC-600 catalyst prepared by using MOF-5 as the template has a very high specific surface area, and Cu is uniformly supported on the carrier. The catalytic hydrogen peroxide oxidation reaction of phenol hydroxylation was investigated and exhibits better catalytic activity and stability in the phenol hydroxylation reaction. The catalytic effect was best when the reaction temperature was 80°C, the reaction time was 2 h, and the amount of catalyst was 0.05 g. The conversion rate of phenol was 47.6%; the yield and selectivity of catechol were 37.8% and 79.4%, respectively. The activity of the catalyst changes little after three cycles of use.

Cu/HZSM-5 Sorbent Treated by NH3 Plasma for Low-Temperature Simultaneous Adsorption-Oxidation of H2S and PH3

In this study, an NH₃ plasma-treated Cu/HZSM-5 sorbent was introduced to simultaneously remove H₂S and PH₃ in low-temperature and low-oxygen environments. The effects of the Cu loading amounts, modification methods, and plasma-treatment conditions on the adsorption-oxidation performance of the sorbents were investigated. From the performance test results, the sorbent treated by NH₃ plasma with the specific energy input (SEI, electrical input energy to the unit volume of gas) value of 1 J·mL^-1 (Cu/HZSM-5-[S1]) was identified as having the highest breakthrough capacities of 108.9 mg S·g^-1 and 150.9 mg P·g^-1 among all of the materials tested. After three times of regeneration, the sorbent can still maintain the ideal performance. The results of Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy and CO₂ temperature-programmed desorption (CO₂-TPD) indicated that the NH₃ plasma treatment can introduce amino groups (functional groups) onto the sorbent surface, which greatly increases the number and strength of the basic sites on the sorbent surface. Results of N₂ adsorption/desorption isotherms and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) showed that the morphology of the sorbent changed after the plasma treatment, which exposed more active sites (copper species). In situ IR spectra showed that the amino groups are continuously consumed during the reaction process, indicating that these amino groups can help sorbents to capture gas molecules. Moreover, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses indicated that CuO is the main active species and the consumption of CuO and accumulation of the reaction products on the surface and inner pores of the sorbent are the primary reasons for the deactivation of the sorbent.

Direct-synthesis method towards copper-containing periodic mesoporous organosilicas: detailed investigation of the copper distribution in the material

A direct synthesis method to incorporate Cu in ethane-bridged PMOs is presented. EPR and TEM reveal the immobilization and distribution of Cu in the material.