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Kung, Mayfair C.

Publications and source records attributed to Kung, Mayfair C..

13 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2024

Molecular Tuning of Reactivity of Zeolite Protons in HZSM-5

In acidic HZSM-5 zeolite, the reactivity of a methanol molecule interacting with the zeolite proton is amenable to modification via coadsorbing a stochiometric amount of an electron density donor E to form the [(E)(CH 3 OH)(HZ)] complex. The rate of the methanol in this complex undergoing dehydration to dimethyl ether was determined for a series of E with proton affinity (PA) ranging from 659 kJ mol –1 for C 6 F 6 to 825 kJ mol –1 for C 4 H 8 O and was found to follow the expression: Ln(Rate) – Ln(Rate N 2 ) = β(PA – PA N 2 ) γ , where E = N 2 is the reference and β and γ are constants. This trend is probably due to the increased stability of the solvated proton in the [(E)(CH 3 OH)(HZ)] complex with increasing PA. Importantly, this is also observed in steady-state flow reactions when stoichiometric quantities of E are preadsorbed on the zeolite. As demonstrated with E being D 2 O, the effect on methanol reactivity diminishes when E is present in excess of the [(E)(CH 3 OH)(HZ)] complex. It is proposed that the methanol dehydration reaction involves [(E)(CH 3 OH)(CH 3 OH)(HZ)] as the transition state, which is supported by the isotopologue distribution of the initial dimethyl ether formed when a flow of CH 3 OH was passed over ZSM-5 containing one CD 3 OH per zeolite proton. Furthermore, the implication of this on the mechanism of catalytic methanol dehydration on HZSM-5 is discussed.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

The Role of Co-ZSM-5 Catalysts in Aerobic Oxidation of Ethylbenzene

Various forms of cobalt catalysts have been studied extensively for selective aerobic oxidation of hydrocarbons. However, it remains unclear whether cobalt can directly activate molecular oxygen under mild reaction conditions. Here we investigated the catalytic roles of cobalt in ethylbenzene oxidation with and without a hydroperoxide initiator. The contribution of different cobalt species was studied by varying the metal loading on Co-impregnated ZSM-5 samples. Quantitative EPR was used to determine the impact of cobalt catalysts on the free radical concentrations. Furthermore, this work provided strong evidence that cobalt, in several different forms, catalyzes hydrocarbon oxidation by facilitating peroxy bond cleavage, instead of direct oxygen activation.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Noncontact catalysis: Initiation of selective ethylbenzene oxidation by Au cluster-facilitated cyclooctene epoxidation

Traditionally, a catalyst functions by direct interaction with reactants. In a new noncontact catalytic system (NCCS), an intermediate produced by one catalytic reaction serves as an intermediary to enable an independent reaction to proceed. An example is the selective oxidation of ethylbenzene, which could not occur in the presence of either solubilized Au nanoclusters or cyclooctene, but proceeded readily when both were present simultaneously. The Au-initiated selective epoxidation of cyclooctene generated cyclooctenyl peroxy and oxy radicals that served as intermediaries to initiate the ethylbenzene oxidation. This combined system effectively extended the catalytic effect of Au. The reaction mechanism was supported by reaction kinetics and spin trap experiments. NCCS enables parallel reactions to proceed without the constraints of stoichiometric relationships, offering new degrees of freedom in industrial hydrocarbon co-oxidation processes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

Minimizing energy demand and environmental impact for sustainable NH 3 and H 2 O 2 production—A perspective on contributions from thermal, electro-, and photo-catalysis

There is an urgent need to provide adequate and sustainable supplies of water and food to satisfy the demand of an increasing population. Catalysis plays important roles in meeting these needs by facilitating the synthesis of hydrogen peroxide that is used in water decontamination and chemicals production, and ammonia that is used as fertilizer. However, these chemicals are currently produced with processes that are either very energy-intensive or environmentally unfriendly. This article offers the perspectives of the challenges and opportunities in the production of these chemicals, focusing on the roles of catalysis in more sustainable, alternative production methods that minimize energy consumption and environmental impact. While not intended to be a comprehensive review, the article provides a critical review of selected literature relevant to its objectives, discusses areas needed for further research, and potential new directions inspired by new developments in related fields. For each chemical, production by thermal, electro-, and photo-excited processes are discussed. Problems that are common to these approaches and their differences are identified and possible solutions suggested.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2018

Polymer functionalized graphene oxide and thermally responsive ion permeable membranes made therefrom

Thermally responsive materials, porous membranes comprising the thermally responsive materials, and batteries incorporating the porous membranes as thermally responsive separation membranes are provided. Also provided are methods of making the thermally responsive materials. The thermally responsive materials comprise upper critical solution temperature (UCST) polymers covalently bound to a support substrate.

Kung, Harold H.↗
DOE OSTI2018

Controlled Generation of TiO x –Au Interface Using Titanium Molecular Complex Bearing Pyridyl Anchors: Synthesis, Characterization and Catalysis

Interfacial perimeter sites between metal and support are often important for catalysis. A mononuclear titanium siloxy complex III, Ti(acac) 2 [OSiC 6 H 5 N(OCH 3 ) 2 ] 2 was synthesized to generate TiOx units of different degrees of clustering to decorate Au nanoparticles. Two different methods of preparation were examined; one was to deposit III onto Au/SiO 2 and the other was to form III-covered Au nanoparticle first before deposition onto SiO 2 . The former method generated more highly dispersed TiO x units, while larger domains of TiO 2 were formed with the latter method, as deduced by UV–vis and XAS characterization. A model was proposed to explain how TiO x dispersity could be related to the preparative procedures. These samples were further tested as catalysts in selective oxidation of propane in a stream of O 2 and H 2 . They exhibited different product selectivities. The sample with more dispersed TiO x units were more selective for acetone formation versus propene formation. The results confirmed the important role of both the Au–TiO x interface at the perimeter and the extent of Ti isolation in the TiO x phase in the reaction.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2017

A low-temperature synthetic route to ternary iron-manganese metal fluorides nanoparticles

Ternary metal fluoride Fe{sub x}Mn{sub 1−x}F{sub 2} (x = 0.00, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75, and 1.00), which is a potential cathode material for next-generation Li-ion batteries, were synthesized via a convenient, low-temperature, bottom-up solution-phase method. The lattice dimensions deduced from X-ray diffraction suggested formation of homogeneous solid solutions. With increasing Fe content, the morphology of the solid changed from cubic particles to dendritic, with an average particle size of 20–40 nm. The results suggested that this synthetic method constitutes a translatable route to large-scale production of ternary metal fluoride nanoparticles. - Graphical abstract: Homogeneous random solid solutions of ternary metal fluoride Fe{sub x}Mn{sub 1−x}F{sub 2} can be prepared by room temperature coprecipitation of precursors followed by drying and calcination at 350 °C. Display Omitted - Highlights: • Homogeneous ternary mixed metal iron-manganese fluoride Fe{sub x}Mn{sub 1−x}F{sub 2} nanoparticles prepared by room temperature coprecipitation and calcination. • Fe{sub x}Mn{sub 1−x}F{sub 2} nanoparticles form different morphology aggregates depending on the composition. • Lattice dimensions from X-ray diffraction suggested formation of homogeneous solid solutions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2017

Stable and solubilized active Au atom clusters for selective epoxidation of cis -cyclooctene with molecular oxygen

Here, the ability of Au catalysts to effect the challenging task of utilizing molecular oxygen for the selective epoxidation of cyclooctene is fascinating. Although supported nanometre-size Au particles are poorly active, here we show that solubilized atomic Au clusters, present in ng ml –1 concentrations and stabilized by ligands derived from the oxidized hydrocarbon products, are active. They can be formed from various Au sources. They generate initiators and propagators to trigger the onset of the auto-oxidation reaction with an apparent turnover frequency of 440 s –1 , and continue to generate additional initiators throughout the auto-oxidation cycle without direct participation in the cycle. Spectroscopic characterization suggests that 7–8 atom clusters are effective catalytically. Extension of work based on these understandings leads to the demonstration that these Au clusters are also effective in selective oxidation of cyclohexene, and that solubilized Pt clusters are also capable of generating initiators for cyclooctene epoxidation.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

Graphene materials having randomly distributed two-dimensional structural defects

Graphene-based storage materials for high-power battery applications are provided. The storage materials are composed of vertical stacks of graphene sheets and have reduced resistance for Li ion transport. This reduced resistance is achieved by incorporating a random distribution of structural defects into the stacked graphene sheets, whereby the structural defects facilitate the diffusion of Li ions into the interior of the storage materials.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗