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Van Speybroeck V, Bocus M, Cnudde P, Vanduyfhuys L. Operando Modeling of Zeolite-Catalyzed Reactions Using First-Principles Molecular Dynamics Simulations. ACS Catal 2023; 13:11455-11493. [PMID: 37671178 PMCID: PMC10476167 DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.3c01945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2023] [Revised: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 09/07/2023]
Abstract
Within this Perspective, we critically reflect on the role of first-principles molecular dynamics (MD) simulations in unraveling the catalytic function within zeolites under operating conditions. First-principles MD simulations refer to methods where the dynamics of the nuclei is followed in time by integrating the Newtonian equations of motion on a potential energy surface that is determined by solving the quantum-mechanical many-body problem for the electrons. Catalytic solids used in industrial applications show an intriguing high degree of complexity, with phenomena taking place at a broad range of length and time scales. Additionally, the state and function of a catalyst critically depend on the operating conditions, such as temperature, moisture, presence of water, etc. Herein we show by means of a series of exemplary cases how first-principles MD simulations are instrumental to unravel the catalyst complexity at the molecular scale. Examples show how the nature of reactive species at higher catalytic temperatures may drastically change compared to species at lower temperatures and how the nature of active sites may dynamically change upon exposure to water. To simulate rare events, first-principles MD simulations need to be used in combination with enhanced sampling techniques to efficiently sample low-probability regions of phase space. Using these techniques, it is shown how competitive pathways at operating conditions can be discovered and how broad transition state regions can be explored. Interestingly, such simulations can also be used to study hindered diffusion under operating conditions. The cases shown clearly illustrate how first-principles MD simulations reveal insights into the catalytic function at operating conditions, which could not be discovered using static or local approaches where only a few points are considered on the potential energy surface (PES). Despite these advantages, some major hurdles still exist to fully integrate first-principles MD methods in a standard computational catalytic workflow or to use the output of MD simulations as input for multiple length/time scale methods that aim to bridge to the reactor scale. First of all, methods are needed that allow us to evaluate the interatomic forces with quantum-mechanical accuracy, albeit at a much lower computational cost compared to currently used density functional theory (DFT) methods. The use of DFT limits the currently attainable length/time scales to hundreds of picoseconds and a few nanometers, which are much smaller than realistic catalyst particle dimensions and time scales encountered in the catalysis process. One solution could be to construct machine learning potentials (MLPs), where a numerical potential is derived from underlying quantum-mechanical data, which could be used in subsequent MD simulations. As such, much longer length and time scales could be reached; however, quite some research is still necessary to construct MLPs for the complex systems encountered in industrially used catalysts. Second, most currently used enhanced sampling techniques in catalysis make use of collective variables (CVs), which are mostly determined based on chemical intuition. To explore complex reactive networks with MD simulations, methods are needed that allow the automatic discovery of CVs or methods that do not rely on a priori definition of CVs. Recently, various data-driven methods have been proposed, which could be explored for complex catalytic systems. Lastly, first-principles MD methods are currently mostly used to investigate local reactive events. We hope that with the rise of data-driven methods and more efficient methods to describe the PES, first-principles MD methods will in the future also be able to describe longer length/time scale processes in catalysis. This might lead to a consistent dynamic description of all steps-diffusion, adsorption, and reaction-as they take place at the catalyst particle level.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Massimo Bocus
- Center for Molecular Modeling, Ghent University, Technologiepark 46, 9052 Zwijnaarde, Belgium
| | - Pieter Cnudde
- Center for Molecular Modeling, Ghent University, Technologiepark 46, 9052 Zwijnaarde, Belgium
| | - Louis Vanduyfhuys
- Center for Molecular Modeling, Ghent University, Technologiepark 46, 9052 Zwijnaarde, Belgium
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Zhang J, Zhou A, Gawande K, Li G, Shang S, Dai C, Fan W, Han Y, Song C, Ren L, Zhang A, Guo X. b-Axis-Oriented ZSM-5 Nanosheets for Efficient Alkylation of Benzene with Methanol: Synergy of Acid Sites and Diffusion. ACS Catal 2023. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.2c06384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jiaxing Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Ajuan Zhou
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Kaivalya Gawande
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Guanxing Li
- Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Center, Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Shujie Shang
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Chengyi Dai
- School of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Xi’an 710069, China
| | - Wei Fan
- Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, United States
| | - Yu Han
- Advanced Membranes and Porous Materials Center, Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Chunshan Song
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, China
| | - Limin Ren
- Zhang Dayu School of Chemistry, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Anfeng Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
| | - Xinwen Guo
- State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Frontiers Science Center for Smart Materials, School of Chemical Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, China
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Kolganov AA, Gabrienko AA, Stepanov AG. Reaction of Methane with Benzene and CO on Cu-Modified ZSM-5 Zeolite Investigated by 13C MAS NMR Spectroscopy. Chem Phys Lett 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cplett.2022.140188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Mortén M, Cordero-Lanzac T, Cnudde P, Redekop EA, Svelle S, van Speybroeck V, Olsbye U. Acidity effect on benzene methylation kinetics over substituted H-MeAlPO-5 catalysts. J Catal 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jcat.2021.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Identifying the key steps determining the selectivity of toluene methylation with methanol over HZSM-5. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3725. [PMID: 34140511 PMCID: PMC8211704 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24098-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Methylation of toluene with methanol to produce p-xylene has been investigated for decades, but the origin of selectivity is still under debate. Here we report computational studies based on ab initio molecular dynamics simulations and free energy sampling methods to identify the key steps determining the selectivity. The steps of toluene methylation to protonated-xylene, deprotonation of protonated-xylenes, and diffusion of xylene in HZSM-5 channels are compared. We find the pathways of formation for protonated p-/m-xylenes have similar free energy barriers. Meanwhile, the methylation is found rate-determining, thus the probability to generate p-/m-xylenes at the active site are similar. We then find that the diffusion for m-xylene along the zigzag channel is more difficult than its isomerization to p-xylene, which in turn further promotes the selectivity of p-xylene formation. These insights obtained at the molecular level are crucial for further development of high-performance zeolite catalysts for toluene methylation. The selectivity of zeolite catalyzed toluene methylation is still under debate. Here the authors report a comprehensive theoretical investigation based on ab-initio molecular dynamics to identify the key-steps of methylation of toluene with methanol over a zeolite to produce p-xylene.
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Wang D, Su X, Fan Z, Wen Z, Li N, Yang Y. Recent Advances for Selective Catalysis in Benzene Methylation: Reactions, Shape-Selectivity and Perspectives. CATALYSIS SURVEYS FROM ASIA 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10563-021-09337-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Fečík M, Plessow PN, Studt F. Theoretical investigation of the side-chain mechanism of the MTO process over H-SSZ-13 using DFT and ab initio calculations. Catal Sci Technol 2021. [DOI: 10.1039/d1cy00433f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The side-chain mechanism of the methanol-to-olefins process over the H-SSZ-13 acidic zeolite was investigated using periodic density functional theory with corrections from highly accurate ab intio calculations on large cluster models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Fečík
- Institute of Catalysis Research and Technology
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
- 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen
- Germany
| | - Philipp N. Plessow
- Institute of Catalysis Research and Technology
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
- 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen
- Germany
| | - Felix Studt
- Institute of Catalysis Research and Technology
- Karlsruhe Institute of Technology
- 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen
- Germany
- Institute for Chemical Technology and Polymer Chemistry
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Fečík M, Plessow PN, Studt F. A Systematic Study of Methylation from Benzene to Hexamethylbenzene in H-SSZ-13 Using Density Functional Theory and Ab Initio Calculations. ACS Catal 2020. [DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.0c02037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michal Fečík
- Institute of Catalysis Research and Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz Platz 1, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen 76344, Germany
| | - Philipp N. Plessow
- Institute of Catalysis Research and Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz Platz 1, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen 76344, Germany
| | - Felix Studt
- Institute of Catalysis Research and Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz Platz 1, Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen 76344, Germany
- Institute for Chemical Technology and Polymer Chemistry, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Engesserstrasse 18, Karlsruhe 76131, Germany
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Wang Y, He X, Yang F, Su Z, Zhu X. Control of Framework Aluminum Distribution in MFI Channels on the Catalytic Performance in Alkylation of Benzene with Methanol. Ind Eng Chem Res 2020. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.iecr.0c00366] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Yilin Wang
- Engineering Research Center of Large-Scale Reactor Engineering and Technology, Ministry of Education, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Xuan He
- Engineering Research Center of Large-Scale Reactor Engineering and Technology, Ministry of Education, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Fan Yang
- Engineering Research Center of Large-Scale Reactor Engineering and Technology, Ministry of Education, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Zhaojie Su
- Engineering Research Center of Large-Scale Reactor Engineering and Technology, Ministry of Education, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
| | - Xuedong Zhu
- Engineering Research Center of Large-Scale Reactor Engineering and Technology, Ministry of Education, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai 200237, China
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Plessow PN, Studt F. How Accurately Do Approximate Density Functionals Predict Trends in Acidic Zeolite Catalysis? J Phys Chem Lett 2020; 11:4305-4310. [PMID: 32412766 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.0c01240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Density functional theory (DFT) is increasingly used for computational screening procedures with the aim of finding new catalysts. To achieve this, it is critical that relative differences between materials are predicted with high accuracy. How DFT at the generalized gradient approximation (GGA) level performs in this respect is investigated here for catalytic reactions employing acidic zeotypes using highly accurate DLPNO-CCSD(T) calculations as the reference. This is studied for 65 reaction energies and 130 reaction barriers related to zeolite catalysis. Our results obtained for the PBE-D3 and BEEF-vdW functionals show that while these functionals are prone to large errors, they predict trends occurring from one catalyst to another with an accuracy of about 5 kJ/mol, strongly supporting the widespread use of DFT calculations for the computational screening and design of new catalytic materials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Philipp N Plessow
- Institute of Catalysis Research and Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
| | - Felix Studt
- Institute of Catalysis Research and Technology, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Hermann-von-Helmholtz Platz 1, 76344 Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen, Germany
- Institute for Chemical Technology and Polymer Chemistry, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Engesserstrasse 18, 76131 Karlsruhe, Germany
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