UiO66-Derived Catalyst for Low Temperature Catalytic Reduction of NO with NH3

Diesel exhaust emissions are major outdoor air pollutants. Reducing the emission of NOx by diesel commercial vehicles and related machineries is at present a great challenge. In this study, we synthesize a catalyst for low-temperature catalytic reduction of NO using calcinated UiO-66(Zr) as a host for the doping of cerium, manganese, and titanium by the incipient wetness impregnation, followed by the dispersion of 1.0 wt % platinum. A solid solution of Ce_0.15Zr_0.54Mn_0.11Ti_0.20O₂/1.0Pt (CZMTO/Pt) is synthesized as evident by the structural characterizations. The catalyst demonstrates significant NO reduction in the laboratory due to the synergistic effect of various elements, with NO conversion above 80% at 160 °C.

Enhanced activity and sulfur resistance of Cu- and Fe-modified activated carbon for the reduction of NO by CO from regeneration gas

The reduction of NO by CO was proposed to be applied for regeneration gas to remove NOx from industrial flue gas with activated carbon purification technology.

Facet-Dependent Reactivity of Ceria Nanoparticles Exemplified by CeO2-Based Transition Metal Catalysts: A Critical Review

The rational design and fabrication of highly-active and cost-efficient catalytic materials constitutes the main research pillar in catalysis field. In this context, the fine-tuning of size and shape at the nanometer scale can exert an intense impact not only on the inherent reactivity of catalyst’s counterparts but also on their interfacial interactions; it can also opening up new horizons for the development of highly active and robust materials. The present critical review, focusing mainly on our recent advances on the topic, aims to highlight the pivotal role of shape engineering in catalysis, exemplified by noble metal-free, CeO2-based transition metal catalysts (TMs/CeO2). The underlying mechanism of facet-dependent reactivity is initially discussed. The main implications of ceria nanoparticles’ shape engineering (rods, cubes, and polyhedra) in catalysis are next discussed, on the ground of some of the most pertinent heterogeneous reactions, such as CO2 hydrogenation, CO oxidation, and N2O decomposition. It is clearly revealed that shape functionalization can remarkably affect the intrinsic features and in turn the reactivity of ceria nanoparticles. More importantly, by combining ceria nanoparticles (CeO2 NPs) of specific architecture with various transition metals (e.g., Cu, Fe, Co, and Ni) remarkably active multifunctional composites can be obtained due mainly to the synergistic metalceria interactions. From the practical point of view, novel catalyst formulations with similar or even superior reactivity to that of noble metals can be obtained by co-adjusting the shape and composition of mixed oxides, such as Cu/ceria nanorods for CO oxidation and Ni/ceria nanorods for CO2 hydrogenation. The conclusions derived could provide the design principles of earth-abundant metal oxide catalysts for various real-life environmental and energy applications.

Investigation of the NO reduction by CO reaction over oxidized and reduced NiOx/CeO2 catalysts

NO reduction by CO reaction was investigated by NiOx/CeO2 catalysts with different pretreatment conditions. Surface area, oxygen defect sites, and CeO2 crystallite size are closely related to the catalytic performance.

A review of the catalysts used in the reduction of NO by CO for gas purification

The reduction of NO by the CO produced by incomplete combustion in the flue gas can remove CO and NO simultaneously and economically. However, there are some problems and challenges in the industrial application which limit the application of this process. In this work, noble metal catalysts and transition metal catalysts used in the reduction of NO by CO in recent years are systematically reviewed, emphasizing the research progress on Ir-based catalysts and Cu-based catalysts with prospective applications. The effects of catalyst support, additives, pretreatment methods, and physicochemical properties of catalysts on catalytic activity are summarized. In addition, the effects of atmosphere conditions on the catalytic activity are discussed. Several kinds of reaction mechanisms are proposed for noble metal catalysts and transition metal catalysts. Ir-based catalysts have an excellent activity for NO reduction by CO in the presence of O₂. Cu-based bimetallic catalysts show better catalytic performance in the absence of O₂, in that the adsorption and dissociation of NO can occur on both oxygen vacancies and metal sites. Finally, the potential problems existing in the application of the reduction of NO by CO in industrial flue gas are analyzed and some promising solutions are put forward through this review.

Recent Advances on the Rational Design of Non-Precious Metal Oxide Catalysts Exemplified by CuOx/CeO2 Binary System: Implications of Size, Shape and Electronic Effects on Intrinsic Reactivity and Metal-Support Interactions

Catalysis is an indispensable part of our society, massively involved in numerous energy and environmental applications. Although, noble metals (NMs)-based catalysts are routinely employed in catalysis, their limited resources and high cost hinder the widespread practical application. In this regard, the development of NMs-free metal oxides (MOs) with improved catalytic activity, selectivity and durability is currently one of the main research pillars in the area of heterogeneous catalysis. The present review, involving our recent efforts in the field, aims to provide the latest advances—mainly in the last 10 years—on the rational design of MOs, i.e., the general optimization framework followed to fine-tune non-precious metal oxide sites and their surrounding environment by means of appropriate synthetic and promotional/modification routes, exemplified by CuOx/CeO2 binary system. The fine-tuning of size, shape and electronic/chemical state (e.g., through advanced synthetic routes, special pretreatment protocols, alkali promotion, chemical/structural modification by reduced graphene oxide (rGO)) can exert a profound influence not only to the reactivity of metal sites in its own right, but also to metal-support interfacial activity, offering highly active and stable materials for real-life energy and environmental applications. The main implications of size-, shape- and electronic/chemical-adjustment on the catalytic performance of CuOx/CeO2 binary system during some of the most relevant applications in heterogeneous catalysis, such as CO oxidation, N2O decomposition, preferential oxidation of CO (CO-PROX), water gas shift reaction (WGSR), and CO2 hydrogenation to value-added products, are thoroughly discussed. It is clearly revealed that the rational design and tailoring of NMs-free metal oxides can lead to extremely active composites, with comparable or even superior reactivity than that of NMs-based catalysts. The obtained conclusions could provide rationales and design principles towards the development of cost-effective, highly active NMs-free MOs, paving also the way for the decrease of noble metals content in NMs-based catalysts.

CO2 Hydrogenation over Nanoceria-Supported Transition Metal Catalysts: Role of Ceria Morphology (Nanorods versus Nanocubes) and Active Phase Nature (Co versus Cu)

In this work we report on the combined impact of active phase nature (M: Co or Cu) and ceria nanoparticles support morphology (nanorods (NR) or nanocubes (NC)) on the physicochemical characteristics and CO2 hydrogenation performance of M/CeO2 composites at atmospheric pressure. It was found that CO2 conversion followed the order: Co/CeO2 > Cu/CeO2 > CeO2, independently of the support morphology. Co/CeO2 catalysts demonstrated the highest CO2 conversion (92% at 450 °C), accompanied by 93% CH4 selectivity. On the other hand, Cu/CeO2 samples were very selective for CO production, exhibiting 52% CO2 conversion and 95% CO selectivity at 380 °C. The results obtained in a wide range of H2:CO2 ratios (1-9) and temperatures (200-500 °C) are reaching in both cases the corresponding thermodynamic equilibrium conversions, revealing the superiority of Co- and Cu-based samples in methanation and reverse water-gas shift (rWGS) reactions, respectively. Moreover, samples supported on ceria nanocubes exhibited higher specific activity (µmol CO2·m-2·s-1) compared to samples of rod-like shape, disclosing the significant role of support morphology, besides that of metal nature (Co or Cu). Results are interpreted on the basis of different textural and redox properties of as-prepared samples in conjunction to the different impact of metal entity (Co or Cu) on CO2 hydrogenation process.

Balance between Reducibility and N2O Adsorption Capacity for the N2O Decomposition: CuxCoy Catalysts as an Example

Cu_xCo_y (CuO-Co₃O₄ mixed oxides) catalysts were prepared via co-precipitation for the N₂O decomposition reaction. They exhibited a higher N₂O decomposition activity than that of pure CuO and Co₃O₄ because of the balance of the redox property and N₂O adsorption capacity. Co₃O₄ presented a large number of surface oxygen vacancies, increasing the N₂O chemical adsorption as "□-Co-ON₂" on the catalyst surface, whereas CuO was dispersed around Co₃O₄ and presented high reducibility on the interface of Co₃O₄-CuO_x for the N-O break of N₂O, healing oxygen vacancies by leaving one oxygen atom in the vacancy. Based on kinetic studies, the rate constant of N₂O decomposition was related to the number of surface vacancy sites ([Mⁿ⁺]) and the rate of N-O break (k₃), whereas the rate-determining step is the N-O break. Therefore, the N₂O decomposition rate is first order to the N₂O concentration. Overall, both the density functional theory calculations and kinetic results indicate that the quantities of adsorption and activation sites derived from the interaction between Co and Cu (dual-function mechanism) were accounted for the excellent N₂O decomposition performance of Cu_xCo_y catalysts.

A Novel Porous Ceramic Membrane Supported Monolithic Cu-Doped Mn–Ce Catalysts for Benzene Combustion

Porous ceramic membranes (PCMs) are considered as an efficient hot gas filtration material in industrial systems. Functionalization of the PCMs with high-efficiency catalysts for the abatement of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during dust elimination is a promising way to purify the industrial exhaust gases. In this work, we prepared PCMs (porosity: 70%) in a facile sintering process and integrated Cu-doped Mn–Ce oxides into the PCMs as monolithic catalysts by the sol–gel method for benzene oxidation. Through this method, the catalysts are dispersed evenly throughout the PCMs with excellent adhesion, and the catalytic PCMs provided more active sites for the reactant gases during the catalytic reaction process compared to the powder catalysts. The physicochemical properties of PCMs and catalytic PCMs were characterized systematically, and the catalytic activities were measured in total oxidation of benzene. As a result, all the prepared catalytic PCMs exhibited high catalytic activity for benzene oxidation. Significantly, the monolithic catalyst of Cu0.2Mn0.6Ce0.2/PCMs obtained the lowest temperature for benzene conversion efficiency of 90% (T90) at 212 °C with a high gaseous hourly space velocity of 5000 h−1 and showed strong resistance to high humidity (90 vol.%, 20 °C) with long-term stability in continuous benzene stream, which is caused by abundant active adsorbed oxygen, more surficial oxygen vacancy, and lower-temperature reducibility.

Investigation of synergistic effects and high performance of La-Co composite oxides for toluene catalytic oxidation at low temperature

Cobalt oxides have been considered as a kind of highly efficient catalyst for the oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). In this work, lanthanum-cobalt composite oxides were prepared by using the co-precipitation method, and toluene was used as the model compound. Diversified techniques including XRD, SEM, Raman spectra, XPS, H₂-TPR, and N₂ adsorption-desorption were applied to investigate the physicochemical properties of as-prepared materials. The composite catalysts showed different morphology including larger specific surface area and higher pore volume which would accelerate the adsorption of toluene and improve the amount of active sites on surface. Moreover, the addition of lanthanum could enhance the low-temperature reducibility, and it could be also beneficial to expose more Co³⁺ and adsorbed oxygen species on the surface of catalysts which could accelerate the oxidation of toluene and lower onset oxidation temperature. 0.05La-Co (with a molar ratio of lanthanum against cobalt is 0.05) showed the best catalytic performance. The complete conversion of toluene was achieved at 225 °C under the condition of toluene concentration = 1000 ppm and SV = 20,000 ml·g^-1·h^-1. Stability test over 0.05La-Co was conducted at 225 °C and it could maintain the 100% conversion of toluene for 720 min, indicating the excellent stability of as-prepared catalysts. Undoubtedly, lanthanum-cobalt composite oxide is a kind of promising material for the catalytic oxidation of VOCs.

Synergetic catalysis of bimetallic copper–cobalt nanosheets for direct synthesis of ethanol and higher alcohols from syngas

The reaction scheme of CO hydrogenation to ethanol under the synergetic catalysis of uniformly dispersed bimetallic copper–cobalt nanosheets.

Enhanced performance of a Pt-based three-way catalyst using a double-solvent method

A new Pt-based three-way catalyst (TWC) for compressed natural gas (CNG) exhausts emissions was developed using a double-solvent method.

Effects of different manganese precursors as promoters on catalytic performance of CuO–MnOx/TiO2 catalysts for NO removal by CO

Since the formation of the surface synergetic oxygen vacancy SSOV (Cu⁺–□–Mn³⁺) in the xCuyMn(N)/TiO₂ catalyst is easier than that (Cu⁺–□–Mn²⁺) in the xCuyMn(A)/TiO₂ catalyst, the activity of the xCuyMn(N)/TiO₂ catalyst is higher than that of the xCuyMn(A)/TiO₂ catalyst.