MoO3 is an effective catalyst for the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of lignin-derived oxygenates to generate high yields of aromatic hydrocarbons without ring-saturated products.

No abstract

Transformational catalytic performance in rate and selectivity is obtainable through catalysts that change on the time scale of catalytic turnover frequency. In this work, dynamic catalysts are defined in the context and history of forced and passive dynamic chemical systems, with classification of unique catalyst behaviors based on temporally-relevant linear scaling parameters. The conditions leading to catalytic rate and selectivity enhancement are described as modifying the local electronic or steric environment of the active site to independently accelerate sequential elementary steps of an overall catalytic cycle. These concepts are related to physical systems and devices that stimulate a catalyst using light, vibrations, strain, and electronic manipulations including electrocatalysis, back-gating of catalyst surfaces, and introduction of surface electric fields via solid electrolytes and ferroelectrics. These catalytic stimuli are then compared for capability to improve catalysis across some of the most important chemical challenges for energy, materials, and sustainability. File list (2) download file view on ChemRxiv Perspective_Manuscript_ChemRxiv.pdf (3.88 MiB) download file view on ChemRxiv Perspective_Supporting_Information_ChemRxiv.pdf (149.75 KiB)

Vapor-phase hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of anisole was investigated at 593 K and H2 pressures of ≤1 bar over supported MoO3/ZrO2 catalysts with MoO3 loadings ranging from 1 to 36 wt % (i.e., 0.5–23.8 Mo/nm2). Reactivity studies showed that HDO activity increased proportionally with MoO3 coverage up to a monolayer coverage (∼15 wt %) over the ZrO2 surface. Specific rates declined for catalysts with high loadings exceeding the monolayer coverage, because of a decreasing amount of redox-active species, as confirmed by oxygen chemisorption experiments. For low catalyst loadings (1 and 5 wt %), the selectivities toward fully deoxygenated aromatics were 13 and 24% on a C-mol basis, respectively, while at intermediate and high loadings (10–36 wt %), the selectivity was ∼40%. Post-reaction characterization of the spent catalysts using X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed that the catalysts with 25 and 36 wt % MoO3 loadings were over-reduced, as evidenced by the prevalence of Mo4+ and Mo3+ oxidation states summing to 54 and 67%, respectively. In contrast, catalysts with low and intermediate Mo loadings exhibited a prevalence of Mo6+ species (∼60%). We hypothesize that Mo5+ species are more easily stabilized in oligomeric and isolated forms over the zirconia support. The catalysts with intermediate loadings feature HDO and alkylation rates higher than those of catalysts with low loadings because the latter feature a higher proportion of isolated species. Once the monolayer coverage is exceeded, MoO3 crystallites are formed, which can undergo facile reduction to less reactive MoO2.

The rapid growth in the global energy demand for space cooling requires the development of more efficient environmental chillers for which adsorption-based cooling systems can be utilized. Here, in this contribution, we explore sorbents for chiller use via a pore-engineering concept to construct analogs of the 1-dimensional pore metal−organic framework MOF-74 by using elongated organic linkers and stereochemistry control. The prepared pore-engineered MOFs show remarkable equilibrium adsorption of the selected fluorocarbon refrigerant that is translated to a modeled adsorption-based refrigeration cycle. To probe molecular level interactions at the origin of these unique adsorption properties for this series of Ni-MOFs, we combined in situ synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction, neutron powder diffraction, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared techniques, and molecular simulations. Our results reveal the coordination of fluorine (of CH 2 F in R134a) to the nickel(II) open metal centers at low pressures for each Ni-MOF analog and provide insight into the pore filling mechanism for the full range of the adsorption isotherms. The newly designed Ni-TPM demonstrates exceptional R134a adsorption uptake compared to its parent microporous Ni-MOF-74 due to larger engineered pore size/volume. The application of this adsorption performance toward established chiller conditions yields a working capacity increase for Ni-TPM of about 400% from that of Ni-MOF-74, which combined with kinetics directly correlates to both a higher coefficient of performance and a higher average cooling capacity generated in a modeled chiller.

It is a truth universally acknowledged that faster catalysts enable more efficient transformation of molecules to useful products and enhance the utilization of natural resources. However, the limit of static catalyst performance defined by the Sabatier principle has motivated a dynamic approach to catalyst design, whereby catalysts oscillate between varying energetic states. In this work, the concept of dynamic catalytic resonance was experimentally demonstrated via the electrocatalytic oxidation of formic acid over Pt. Oscillation of the electrodynamic potential between 0 and 0.8 V NHE via a square waveform at varying frequency (10 −3 < f < 10 3 Hz) increased the turnover frequency to ∼20 s −1 at 100 Hz, over one order of magnitude (20×) faster than optimal potentiostatic conditions. We attribute the accelerated dynamic catalysis to nonfaradaic formic acid dehydration to surface-bound carbon monoxide at low potentials, followed by surface oxidation and desorption to carbon dioxide at high potentials.

Branched catalytic reaction networks with oscillating chemical pathways perfectly select for reaction products at varying frequency.

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed on the multistep hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of acetone (CH 3 COCH 3 ) to propylene (CH 3 CHCH 2 ) on a molybdenum oxide (α-MoO 3 ) catalyst following an oxygen vacancy-driven pathway. First, a perfect O-terminated α-MoO 3 (010) surface based on a 4x2x4 supercell is reduced by molecular hydrogen (H 2 ) to generate a terminal oxygen (O t ) defect site. This process occurs via a dissociative chemisorption of H 2 on adjacent surface oxygen atoms, followed by an H transfer to form a water molecule (H 2 O). Next, adsorption of CH 3 COCH 3 on the oxygen deficient Mo site forms an O-Mo bond, then the chemisorbed CH 3 COCH 3 forms CH 3 COCH 2 by transfer of an H atom to an adjacent O t site. The surface bound hydroxyl (OH) then transfers the H atom to the immobilized O atom, to form surface bound enol, CH 3 CHOCH 2 . The next step releases CH 3 CHCH 2 into the gas phase, whilst simultaneously oxidizes the surface back to a perfect O-terminated α-MoO 3 (010) surface. The adsorption of H 2 , and the formation of a terminal oxygen (O t ) vacancy moves the conduction band minimum (CBM) from 1.2 eV to 0 and 0.3 eV, respectively. Climbing image nudged elastic band (CI-NEB) calculations using a Perdew-Burke-Ernzerhof (PBE) functional in combination with double-zeta valence (DZV) basis sets indicate that the dissociative adsorption of H 2 is the rate-limiting step for the catalytic cycle with a barrier of 1.70 eV. Furthermore, the lower barrier for surface mediated H transfer from primary to secondary carbon atom (0.63 eV) compared to that of a concerted direct H transfer to the secondary C atom with simultaneous desorption (2.02 eV) emphasizes the key role played by the surface in H transfer for effective deoxygenation.