The catalytic activity of zeolites [1] often is limited by the diffusion of reagents and reaction products through the framework pore network. Recently, several efforts have been made to reduce the diffusion path length in zeolites by confining crystal growth to a nanometer length scale [2][3][4][5][6][7][8] or by providing intracrystal mesopores during synthesis.[9-13] The latter strategy is intrinsically appealing, in part, because it precludes the need for colloidal crystal formation and avoids the drawbacks associated with nanoparticle processing. Moreover, the presence of mesopores in zeolite crystals offers the possibility of improving product selectivity in the catalytic cracking of polymeric molecules. [14] The embedding of carbon nanoparticles and certain polymers into zeolites crystals during synthesis has been shown to be an effective means of generating intracrystal mesopores.[9-13] These templating methods provide much better control of pore size than conventional steaming and chemical leaching approaches to mesopore formation in zeolites.[15] However, particle templates typically afford average pore sizes that are too large (! 10 nm) and pore size distributions that are too broad (> 10 nm widths at half maximum) for catalytic cracking reactions with high product selectivity.Herein we report a method to prepare templated zeolites with small intracrystal mesopores (average pore size 2.0-3.0 nm) and narrow pore size distributions (ca. 1.0-1.5 nm width at half maximum). We selected the MFI zeolite ZSM-5 to illustrate our approach, in part, because it is widely recognized for its unique properties as a catalyst for NO x reduction, Fisher-Tropsch chemistry, and toluene disproportionation, and as an additive for petroleum cracking. Scheme 1 illustrates our synthetic strategy for templating uniform mesopores within a zeolite matrix. In this scheme, a silane-functionalized polymer is used as a porogen for the formation of intracrystal mesopores. The presence of -SiO 3 units on the polymer allows it to be integrated into a silicaalumina sol-gel reaction mixture. Nucleation of the zeolite phase in the presence of the silylated polymer is accompanied by the grafting of the polymer to the zeolites surface through covalent Si-O-Si linkages. As the zeolite crystal grows, the

Renewable energy-driven methanol synthesis from CO2 and green hydrogen is a viable and key process in both the “methanol economy” and “liquid sunshine” visions. Recently, In2O3-based catalysts have shown great promise in overcoming the disadvantages of traditional Cu-based catalysts. Here, we report a successful case of theory-guided rational design of a much higher performance In2O3 nanocatalyst. Density functional theory calculations of CO2 hydrogenation pathways over stable facets of cubic and hexagonal In2O3 predict the hexagonal In2O3(104) surface to have far superior catalytic performance. This promotes the synthesis and evaluation of In2O3 in pure phases with different morphologies. Confirming our theoretical prediction, a novel hexagonal In2O3 nanomaterial with high proportion of the exposed {104} surface exhibits the highest activity and methanol selectivity with high catalytic stability. The synergy between theory and experiment proves highly effective in the rational design and experimental realization of oxide catalysts for industry-relevant reactions.

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We report the development of photocatalytically patterned TiO(2) arrays for selective on-plate enrichment and direct matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) analysis of phosphopeptides. A thin TiO(2) nanofilm with controlled porosity is prepared on gold-covered glass slides by a layer-by-layer (LbL) deposition/calcination process. The highly porous and rough nanostructure offers high surface area for selective binding of phosphorylated species. The patterned arrays are generated using an octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) coating in combination of UV irradiation with a photomask, followed by NaOH etching. The resulting hydrophilic TiO(2) spots are thus surrounded by a hydrophobic OTS layer, which can facilitate the enrichment of low-abundance components by confining a large volume sample into a small area. The TiO(2) arrays exhibit high specificity toward phosphopeptides in complex samples including phosphoprotein digests and human serum, and the detection can be made in the fmole range. Additional advantages of the arrays include excellent stability, reusability/reproducibility, and low cost. This method has been successfully applied to the analysis of phosphopeptides in nonfat milk. The patterned TiO(2) arrays provide an attractive interface for performing on-plate reactions, including selective capture of target species for MALDI-MS analysis, and can serve as a versatile lab-on-a-chip platform for high throughput analysis in phosphoproteome research.

Highly dispersed Fe2O3 nanoparticles supported on carbon nanotubes, prepared by a simple ethanol-assisted impregnation method, showed above 90% NO conversion and selectivity at low temperatures (200-325 °C). Moreover excellent durability and stability towards SO2/H2O was obtained.

The Cu/ZnO/Al2O3/Y2O3 catalyst with Y3+ : (Al3+ + Y3+) = 0.1 derived from hydrotalcite-like compounds exhibited the best catalytic performance with high stability.

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