Search NASA⌕ Search

Engineering topics

Perez-Aguilar, Jorge E.

Publications and source records attributed to Perez-Aguilar, Jorge E..

Acetylene ligands stabilize atomically dispersed supported rhodium complexes under harsh conditions

Facile sintering of atomically dispersed supported noble metal catalysts at catalytically relevant temperatures, particularly under reducing conditions, poses a challenge for their practical applications. Some ligands, such as carbonyls, aid in improving the stability at the expense of severely suppressing the catalytic activity. In this work, we demonstrate that substitution of the carbonyl ligands with reactive acetylene ligands can maintain the atomic dispersion of the supported mononuclear rhodium complex under harsh reducing conditions (>573 K), as confirmed by in-situ X-ray absorption near-edge structure (XANES) and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopies. In contrast, the supported rhodium carbonyl complex aggregates into nanoclusters under identical conditions. Furthermore, our results indicate that the acetylene ligands provide this anti-sintering ability while retaining the hydrogenation activity.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Atomically dispersed zeolite-supported rhodium complex: Selective and stable catalyst for acetylene semi-hydrogenation

In this study, supported rhodium catalysts are known to be unselective for semi-hydrogenation reactions. Here, by tuning the electronic structure of supported mononuclear rhodium sites determined by the metal nuclearity and the electron-donor properties of the support, we report that atomically dispersed HY zeolite-supported rhodium with reactive acetylene ligands affords a stable ethylene selectivity > 90 % for acetylene semi-hydrogenation at 373 K and atmospheric pressure, even when ethylene is present in a large excess over acetylene. Infrared and X-ray absorption spectra and measurements of rates of the catalytic reaction complemented with calculations at the level of density functional theory show how the catalyst performance depends on the electronic structure of the rhodium, influenced by the support as a ligand that is a weak electron donor.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

CatMass : software for calculating optimal sample masses for X-ray absorption spectroscopy experiments involving complex sample compositions

This paper presents software for calculating the optimal mass of samples with complex compositions ( e.g. supported metal catalysts) for X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and scattering measurements. The ability to calculate the sample mass and other relevant parameters needed for an XAS measurement allows experimentalists to be better prepared in terms of detector selection, energy range of scan and overall time needed to complete the measurement, thus increasing efficiency. CatMass builds on existing sample mass calculators allowing users to determine the optimum sample preparation, collection geometry, usable energy range for a scan and approximate edge step of the absorption event. Visualization tools present the absorption calculation results in a format familiar to XAS experimentalists, with the added ability to save calculations and plots for future reference or recalculation. CatMass is a program broadly applicable in catalysis and is helpful for users with complex samples due to composition/stoichiometry or multiple competing elements.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Observations of Ethylene-for-CO Ligand Exchanges on a Zeolite-Supported Single-Site Rh Catalyst by X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy

Quick-scanning X-ray absorption fine structure (QXAFS) measurements were used to characterize the exchanges of ethylene and CO ligands in a zeolite HY-supported single-site Rh complex at a sampling rate of 1.0 Hz. The two ligands were reversibly exchanged on the rhodium, with quantitative results determined for the C 2 H 4 -for-CO exchange that are consistent with a first-order process. The apparent rate constant for the exchange decreased with increasing temperature. Fourier-transform infrared spectra characterizing the C 2 H 4 sorbed in the zeolite showed that the amount decreased with increasing temperature, consistent with the decrease in the exchange rate with increasing temperature. Here the results, illustrating the dynamics of ligand exchanges on a single-site supported metal catalyst, demonstrate the broad emerging applicability of the QXAFS technique for characterizing the dynamics of reactive intermediates on catalysts.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Structure and Site Evolution of Framework Ni Species in MIL-127 MOFs for Propylene Oligomerization Catalysis

A mixed-valence oxotrimer metal–organic framework (MOF), Ni-MIL-127, with a fully coordinated nickel atom and two iron atoms in the inorganic node, generates a missing linker defect upon thermal treatment in helium (>473 K) to engender an open coordination site on nickel which catalyzes propylene oligomerization devoid of any cocatalysts or initiators. This catalyst is stable for ~20 h on stream at 500 kPa and 473 K, unprecedented for this chemistry. The number of missing linkers on synthesized and activated Ni-MIL-127 MOFs is quantified using temperature-programmed oxidation, 1 H nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy to be ~0.7 missing linkers per nickel; thus, a majority of Ni species in the MOF framework catalyze propylene oligomerization. In situ NO titrations under reaction conditions enumerate ~62% of the nickel atoms as catalytically relevant to validate the defect density upon thermal treatment. Propylene oligomerization rates on Ni-MIL-127 measured at steady state have activation energies of 55–67 kJ mol –1 from 448 to 493 K and are first-order in propylene pressures from 5 to 550 kPa. Density functional theory calculations on cluster models of Ni-MIL-127 are employed to validate the plausibility of the missing linker defect and the Cossee–Arlman mechanism for propylene oligomerization through comparisons between apparent activation energies from steady-state kinetics and computation. Here this study illustrates how MOF precatalysts engender defective Ni species which exhibit reactivity and stability characteristics that are distinct and can be engineered to improve catalytic activity for olefin oligomerization.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗