Reactivity of the V2O5–TiO2-anatase catalyst: role of the oxygen sites

Density functional theory (DFT) studies of vanadium-titanium based selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalysts

Based on density functional theory (DFT) and basic structure models, the chemical reactions on the surface of vanadium-titanium based selective catalytic reduction (SCR) denitrification catalysts were summarized. Reasonable structural models (non-periodic and periodic structural models) are the basis of density functional calculations. A periodic structure model was more appropriate to represent the catalyst surface, and its theoretical calculation results were more comparable with the experimental results than a non-periodic model. It is generally believed that the SCR mechanism where NH₃ and NO react to produce N₂ and H₂O follows an Eley-Rideal type mechanism. NH₂NO was found to be an important intermediate in the SCR reaction, with multiple production routes. Simultaneously, the effects of H₂O, SO₂ and metal on SCR catalysts were also summarized.

Oxygen Vacancies in Oxide Nanoclusters: When Silica Is More Reducible Than Titania

Oxygen vacancies are related to specific optical, conductivity and magnetic properties in macroscopic SiO2 and TiO2 compounds. As such, the ease with which oxygen vacancies form often determines the application potential of these materials in many technological fields. However, little is known about the role of oxygen vacancies in nanosized materials. In this work we compute the energies to create oxygen vacancies in highly stable nanoclusters of (TiO2)N, (SiO2)N, and mixed (TixSi1-xO2)N for sizes between N = 2 and N = 24 units. Contrary to the results for bulk and surfaces, we predict that removing an oxygen atom from global minima silica clusters is energetically more favorable than from the respective titania species. This unexpected chemical behavior is clearly linked to the inherent presence of terminal unsaturated oxygens at these nanoscale systems. In order to fully characterize our findings, we provide an extensive set of descriptors (oxygen vacancy formation energy, electron localization, density of states, relaxation energy, and geometry) that can be used to compare our results with those for other compositions and sizes. Our results will help in the search of novel nanomaterials for technological and scientific applications such as heterogeneous catalysis, electronics, and cluster chemistry.

Can Supported Reduced Vanadium Oxides form H2 from CH3OH? A Computational Gas-Phase Mechanistic Study

A detailed density functional theory study is presented to clarify the mechanistic aspects of the methanol (CH₃OH) dehydrogenation process to yield hydrogen (H₂) and formaldehyde (CH₂O). A gas-phase vanadium oxide cluster is used as a model system to represent reduced V(III) oxides supported on TiO₂ catalyst. The theoretical results provide a complete scenario, involving several reaction pathways in which different methanol adsorption sites are considered, with presence of hydride and methoxide intermediates. Methanol dissociative adsorption process is both kinetically and thermodynamically feasible on V-O-Ti and V═O sites, and it might lead to form hydride species with interesting catalytic reactivity. The formation of H₂ and CH₂O on reduced vanadium sites, V(III), is found to be more favorable than for oxidized vanadium species, V(V), taking place along energy barriers of 29.9 and 41.0 kcal/mol, respectively.

Insight into deactivation of commercial SCR catalyst by arsenic: an experiment and DFT study

Fresh and arsenic-poisoned V2O5–WO3/TiO2 catalysts are investigated by experiments and DFT calculations for SCR activity and the deactivation mechanism. Poisoned catalyst (1.40% of arsenic) presents lower NO conversion and more N2O formation than fresh. Stream (5%) could further decrease the activity of poisoned catalyst above 350 °C. The deactivation is not attributed to the loss of surface area or phase transformation of TiO2 at a certain arsenic content, but due to the coverage of the V2O5 cluster and the decrease in the surface acidity: the number of Lewis acid sites and the stability of Brønsted acid sites. Large amounts of surface hydroxyl induced by H2O molecules provide more unreactive As–OH groups and give rise to a further decrease in the SCR activity. N2O is mainly from NH3 unselective oxidation at high temperatures since the reducibility of catalysts and the number of surface-active oxygens are improved by As2O5. Finally, the reaction pathway seems unchanged after poisoning: NH3 adsorbed on both Lewis and Brønsted acid sites is reactive.

Alkali metal poisoning of a CeO2-WO3 catalyst used in the selective catalytic reduction of NOx with NH3: an experimental and theoretical study

The alkali metal-induced deactivation of a novel CeO(2)-WO(3) (CeW) catalyst used for selective catalytic reduction (SCR) was investigated. The CeW catalyst could resist greater amounts of alkali metals than V(2)O(5)-WO(3)/TiO(2). At the same molar concentration, the K-poisoned catalyst exhibited a greater loss in activity compared with the Na-poisoned catalyst below 200 °C. A combination of experimental and theoretical methods, including NH(3)-TPD, DRIFTS, H(2)-TPR, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations, were used to elucidate the mechanism of the alkali metal deactivation of the CeW catalyst in SCR reaction. Experiments results indicated that decreases in the reduction activity and the quantity of Brønsted acid sites rather than the acid strength were responsible for the catalyst deactivation. The DFT calculations revealed that Na and K could easily adsorb on the CeW (110) surface and that the surface oxygen could migrate to cover the active tungsten, and then inhibit the SCR of NO(x) with ammonia. Hot water washing is a convenient and effective method to regenerate alkali metal-poisoned CeW catalysts, and the catalytic activity could be recovered 90% of the fresh catalyst.