We propose theoretically that the reactivity of O2-bound Cu-ZSM-5 toward methane is enhanced by the presence of one water molecule near a dinuclear copper site inside a 10-membered ring of the zeolite cavity. The current study employed density functional theory (DFT) calculations with the B3LYP functional to elucidate reaction intermediates during dioxygen activation by Cu-ZSM-5 in the presence of one water molecule attached to a dicopper site. The initial event is the formation of a hydroperoxo species bridged by the dicopper site via an H atom transfer from an attached water to the bound dioxygen. After the formation of the intermediate, the hydroperoxo O–O bond is completely cleaved to form radical oxygen containing intermediates, such as a Cu–O–Cu species bound by two OH groups (HO–Cu–O–Cu–OH), as well as a copper oxyl group containing intermediate (HO–Cu–OH–CuO). The radical oxygen containing intermediates can cleave a methane C–H bond in a homolytic fashion. Examining the barrier for the C–H bond activation obtained from DFT calculations, we found that the two types of intermediates have the power to more effectively cleave methane C–H bonds than the Cu–O–Cu intermediate that has been proposed to be formed in the absence of a water molecule. The current DFT findings propose that O2-bound Cu-ZSM-5 in the presence of one water molecule is a potential candidate for catalysts desired for methane to methanol conversion under mild conditions. Recently, techniques for controlling the number of water molecules near the active site of a ZSM-5 zeolite have been developed, and therefore the DFT findings should stimulate experimental efforts for constructing catalysts for direct methane hydroxylation.

A combination of experimental and computational analyses suggested the presence of Ag3 or Ag4 clusters inside a nanometer-sized cavity in Ag–ZSM-5 zeolites, which were formed from H–ZSM-5 using the conventional ion-exchange method in an aqueous silver nitrate solution. During the experimental analyses, we investigated the structural and absorption properties of Ag–ZSM-5 through UV–vis diffuse reflectance and X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) measurements. The results from the extended XAFS (EXAFS) analysis indicated that clusters contained in the ZSM-5 cavity have Ag–Ag separations of approximately 2.6 Å. The UV–vis measurements indicated that the clusters located in the cavity present three prominent absorption bands centered at approximately 255, 287, and 331 nm for the sample treated at 473 K. The Ag–ZSM-5 treated at 573 or 673 K presents new UV–vis bands at approximately 303 and 319 nm. The experimental results regarding the structural and absorption properties of Ag–ZSM-5 could be well-reproduced by DFT calculations when a model large enough to represent a 10-membered ring of ZSM-5 was used. DFT optimization indicated that the ZSM-5 cavity can accommodate a triangular Ag3 cluster and a butterfly Ag4 cluster whose Ag–Ag separations range from 2.7 to 2.9 Å. According to time-dependent DFT calculations, these clusters have electronic transitions from a completely symmetric 5s-based orbital to a 5s-based orbital with one node. The electronic excitations between the 5s-based orbitals are modulated by the ZSM-5 encapsulation through the resulting deformation of the cluster and interactions between the cluster and framework oxygen atoms. The electronic transitions between the 5s-based orbitals that appropriately explain the UV–vis absorption properties would become fingerprints for identifying the shapes and sizes of clusters inside a zeolite cavity. Our multidisciplinary analyses conclusively determined the origin of the absorption peaks in Ag–ZSM-5 and successfully obtained atomistic information about the states of silver clusters inside a ZSM-5 cavity. The findings of this study will provide useful information for elucidating the structures of active sites in Ag-ZSM-5 and their important role in catalytic reactions such as C–H bond activation in hydrocarbons.

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The energetic properties of Agn clusters in ZSM-5 zeolite, obtained from density functional theory (DFT) calculations with the B3PW91 functional, can be well understood by utilizing super-atom orbital ideas.