Insights into the Contribution of Oxidation-Reduction Pretreatment for Mn0.2Zr0.8O2-δ Catalyst of CO Oxidation Reaction

A Mn_0.2Zr_0.8O_2-δ mixed oxide catalyst was synthesized via the co-precipitation method and studied in a CO oxidation reaction after different redox pretreatments. The surface and structural properties of the catalyst were studied before and after the pretreatment using XRD, XANES, XPS, and TEM techniques. Operando XRD was used to monitor the changes in the crystal structure under pretreatment and reaction conditions. The catalytic properties were found to depend on the activation procedure: reducing the CO atmosphere at 400-600 °C and the reaction mixture (O₂ excess) or oxidative O₂ atmosphere at 250-400 °C. A maximum catalytic effect characterized by decreasing T₅₀ from 193 to 171 °C was observed after a reduction at 400 °C and further oxidation in the CO/O₂ reaction mixture was observed at 250 °C. Operando XRD showed a reversible reduction-oxidation of Mn cations in the volume of Mn_0.2Zr_0.8O_2-δ solid solution. XPS and TEM detected the segregation of manganese cations on the surface of the mixed oxide. TEM showed that Mn-rich regions have a structure of MnO₂. The pretreatment caused the partial decomposition of the Mn_0.2Zr_0.8O_2-δ solid solution and the formation of surface Mn-rich areas that are active in catalytic CO oxidation. In this work it was shown that the introduction of oxidation-reduction pretreatment cycles leads to an increase in catalytic activity due to changes in the origin of active states.

Creation of Exclusive Artificial Cluster Defects by Selective Metal Removal in the (Zn, Zr) Mixed-Metal UiO-66

The differentiation between missing linker defects and missing cluster defects in MOFs is difficult, thereby limiting the ability to correlate materials properties to a specific type of defects. Herein, we present a novel and easy synthesis strategy for the creation of solely "missing cluster defects" by preparing mixed-metal (Zn, Zr)-UiO-66 followed by a gentle acid wash to remove the Zn nodes. The resulting material has the reo UiO-66 structure, typical for well-defined missing cluster defects. The missing clusters are thoroughly characterized, including low-pressure Ar-sorption, iDPC-STEM at a low dose (1.5 pA), and XANES/EXAFS analysis. We show that the missing cluster UiO-66 has a negligible number of missing linkers. We show the performance of the missing cluster UiO-66 in CO₂ sorption and heterogeneous catalysis.

In Situ Study of Reduction of MnxCo3-xO4 Mixed Oxides: The Role of Manganese Content

A series of Mn-Co mixed oxides with a gradual variation of the Mn/Co molar ratio were prepared by coprecipitation of cobalt and manganese nitrates. The structure, chemistry, and reducibility of the oxides were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray absorption spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and temperature-programmed reduction (TPR). It was found that at concentrations of Mn below 37 atom %, a solid solution with a cubic spinel structure is formed. At concentrations above 63 atom %, a solid solution is formed on the basis of a tetragonal spinel, while at concentrations in a range of 37-63 atom %, a two-phase system, which contains tetragonal and cubic oxides, is formed. To elucidate the reduction route of mixed oxides, two approaches were used. The first was based on a gradual change in the chemical composition of Mn-Co oxides, illustrating slow changes in the TPR profiles. The second approach consisted in a combination of in situ XRD and pseudo-in situ XPS techniques, which made it possible to directly determine the structure and chemistry of the oxides under reductive conditions. It was shown that the reduction of Mn-Co mixed oxides proceeds via two stages. During the first stage, (Mn, Co)₃O₄ is reduced to (Mn, Co)O. During the second stage, the solid solution (Mn, Co)O is transformed into metallic cobalt and MnO. The introduction of manganese cations into the structure of cobalt oxide leads to a decrease in the rate of both reduction stages. However, the influence of additional cations on the second reduction stage is more noticeable. This is due to crystallographic peculiarities of the compounds: the conversion from the initial oxide (Mn, Co)₃O₄ into the intermediate oxide (Mn, Co)O requires only a small displacement of cations, whereas the formation of metallic cobalt from (Mn, Co)O requires a rearrangement of the entire structure.

The Formation of Mn-Ce Oxide Catalysts for CO Oxidation by Oxalate Route: The Role of Manganese Content

The Mn-Ce oxide catalysts active in the oxidation of CO were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), transition electron microscopy (TEM), energy dispersive X-Ray (EDX), and a differential dissolution technique. The Mn-Ce catalysts were prepared by thermal decomposition of oxalates by varying the Mn:Ce ratio. The nanocrystalline oxides with a fluorite structure and particle sizes of 4–6 nm were formed. The introduction of manganese led to a reduction of the oxide particle size, a decrease in the surface area, and the formation of a Mn_yCe_1−yO_2−δ solid solution. An increase in the manganese content resulted in the formation of manganese oxides such as Mn₂O₃, Mn₃O₄, and Mn₅O₈. The catalytic activity as a function of the manganese content had a volcano-like shape. The best catalytic performance was exhibited by the catalyst containing ca. 50 at.% Mn due to the high specific surface area, the formation of the solid solution, and the maximum content of the solid solution.