Formation of paired Ga sites in CHA-type zeolite frameworks via a transcription-induced method.

Paired Ga sites represented by the Ga-O-Si-O-Ga sequence were firstly formed intentionally in CHA-type zeolite frameworks via the transcription of pre-formed paired Ga species in a Ga-rich amorphous silica-gallia under seed-assisted hydrothermal conditions. Such paired Ga sites behaved as ion-exchange sites for capturing divalent cation, Co2+.

Fluoride-free synthesis of high-silica CHA-type aluminosilicates by seed-assisted aging treatment for starting gel.

High-silica CHA-type aluminosilicates (Si/Al molar ratio >100) were synthesized hydrothermally in the absence of fluoride media, where the seed-assisted aging treatment played an important role on the crystallization. These aluminosilicates showed a long catalytic lifetime with high selectivity toward lower olefins in the methanol-to-olefins reaction.

Clarification of acid site location in MSE-type zeolites by spectroscopic approaches combined with catalytic activity: comparison between UZM-35 and MCM-68.

MSE-type zeolites synthesized by different organic structure-directing agents (OSDAs), UZM-35 and MCM-68, were prepared. The location of Brønsted acid sites derived from the framework Al atoms and acidic properties were investigated based on 27Al MQMAS NMR and in situ IR techniques combined with the evaluation of the catalytic activity. We have successfully found a significant difference in the location of Brønsted acid sites in the MSE-type framework; 61 and 33% of acid sites were located at the 12-ring channel for MCM-68 and UZM-35, respectively. The differences in the location of the acid sites yielded their unique catalytic activities for the hydrocarbon cracking reactions, indicating that a well-chosen type of OSDAs for the synthesis is one of the possibilities for controlling the distribution of the framework Al atoms in the MSE-type framework.

Transcription-induced formation of paired Al sites in high-silica CHA-type zeolite framework using Al-rich amorphous aluminosilicate.

The paired Al species pre-formed in Al-rich amorphous aluminosilicates were transcribed into high-silica CHA-type zeolite frameworks under hydrothermal conditions, which offers a new approach to creating paired Al sites in zeolite frameworks. This Al-pair-rich CHA exhibited a higher Sr2+ uptake than the control CHA zeolite synthesized by the conventional procedure.

Organic Structure-Directing Agent-Free Synthesis of Mordenite-Type Zeolites Driven by Al-Rich Amorphous Aluminosilicates.

Mordenite (MOR)-type zeolites with a Si/Al molar ratio of up to 13 with crystallite sizes of ca. 60 nm were successfully synthesized from Al-rich aluminosilicates with a Si/Al ratio of 2 and additional SiO2 under seed-assisted hydrothermal conditions for 6 h or longer without any organic structure-directing agents (OSDAs). In stark contrast, under the same hydrothermal conditions for 6 h, control experiments using starting reagent(s), such as Al-poor aluminosilicate, pure SiO2, tetraethyl orthosilicate, and Al(NO3)3, all of which are typically employed for zeolite synthesis, failed to yield MOR-type zeolites. The penta-coordinated Al species, which are present in Al-rich aluminosilicates and are more reactive than the tetra- and hexa-coordinated Al species typically found in alumina and Al-poor aluminosilicates, played a decisive role in the OSDA-free synthesis of MOR-type zeolites.

Ethanol-ethylene conversion mechanism on hydrogen boride sheets probed by in situ infrared absorption spectroscopy.

Two-dimensional hydrogen boride (HB) sheets were recently demonstrated to act as a solid acid catalyst in their hydrogen-deficient state. However, both the active sites and the mechanism of the catalytic process require further elucidation. In this study, we analyzed the conversion of ethanol adsorbed on HB sheets under vacuum during heating using in situ Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) absorption spectroscopy with isotope labelling. Up to 450 K, the FT-IR peak associated with the OH group of the adsorbed ethanol molecule disappeared from the spectrum, which was attributed to a dehydration reaction with a hydrogen atom from the HB sheet, resulting in the formation of an ethyl species. At temperatures above 440 K, the number of BD bonds markedly increased in CD3CH2OH, compared to CH3CD2OH; the temperature dependence of the formation rate of BD bonds was similar to that of the dehydration reaction rate of ethanol on HB sheets under steady-state conditions. The rate-determining step of the dehydration of ethanol on HB was thus ascribed to the dehydrogenation of the methyl group of the ethyl species on the HB sheets, followed by the immediate desorption of ethylene. These results show that the catalytic ethanol dehydration process on HB involves the hydrogen atoms of the HB sheets. The obtained mechanistic insights are expected to promote the practical application of HB sheets as catalysts.

Ultrafast Encapsulation of Metal Nanoclusters into MFI Zeolite in the Course of Its Crystallization: Catalytic Application for Propane Dehydrogenation.

Encapsulating metal nanoclusters into zeolites combines the superior catalytic activity of the nanoclusters with high stability and unique shape selectivity of the crystalline microporous materials. The preparation of such bifunctional catalysts, however, is often restricted by the mismatching in time scale between the fast formation of nanoclusters and the slow crystallization of zeolites. We herein demonstrate a novel strategy to overcome the mismatching issue, in which the crystallization of zeolites is expedited so as to synchronize it with the rapid formation of nanoclusters. The concept was demonstrated by confining Pt and Sn nanoclusters into a ZSM-5 (MFI) zeolite in the course of its crystallization, leading to an ultrafast, in situ encapsulation within just 5 min. The Pt/Sn-ZSM-5 exhibited exceptional activity and selectivity with stability in the dehydrogenation of propane to propene. This method of ultrafast encapsulation opens up a new avenue for designing and synthesizing composite zeolitic materials with structural and compositional complexity.

Metal cation-exchanged zeolites with the location, state, and size of metal species controlled.

Rh ion-exchanged MFI-type aluminosilicate zeolites with different Al distributions were prepared for controlling the location, state, and size of Rh species. The MFI-type aluminosilicate zeolite with the framework Al atoms predominantly located inside the channel intersections leads to the formation of relatively large Rh species, which were confirmed by ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) and infrared (IR) spectroscopies. Moreover, this catalyst showed a high catalytic activity for the oxidative reforming reaction of methane.

Extremely Stable Zeolites Developed via Designed Liquid-Mediated Treatment.

Improving the stability of porous materials for practical applications is highly challenging. Aluminosilicate zeolites are utilized for adsorptive and catalytic applications, wherein they are sometimes exposed to high-temperature steaming conditions (∼1000 °C). As the degradation of high-silica zeolites originates from the defect sites in their frameworks, feasible defect-healing methods are highly demanded. Herein, we propose a method for healing defects to create extremely stable high-silica zeolites. High-silica (SiO2/Al2O3 > 240) zeolites with *BEA-, MFI-, and MOR-type topologies could be stabilized by significantly reducing the number of defect sites via a liquid-mediated treatment without using additional silylating agents. Upon exposure to extremely high temperature (900-1150 °C) steam, the stabilized zeolites retain their crystallinity and micropore volume, whereas the parent commercial zeolites degrade completely. The proposed self-defect-healing method provides new insights into the migration of species through porous bodies and significantly advances the practical applicability of zeolites in severe environments.

Zeolite-supported ultra-small nickel as catalyst for selective oxidation of methane to syngas.

The development of simple catalysts with high performance in the selective oxidation of methane to syngas at low temperature has attracted much attention. Here we report a nickel-based solid catalyst for the oxidation of methane, synthesised by a facile impregnation method. Highly dispersed ultra-small NiO particles of 1.6 nm in size are successfully formed on the MOR-type zeolite. The zeolite-supported nickel catalyst gives continuously 97-98% methane conversion, 91-92% of CO yield with a H2/CO ratio of 2.0, and high durability without serious carbon deposition onto the catalyst at 973 K. DFT calculations demonstrate the effect of NiO particle size on the C-H dissociation process of CH4. A decrease in the NiO particle size enhances the production of oxygen originating from the NiO nanoparticles, which contributes to the oxidation of methane under a reductive environment, effectively producing syngas.

Effect of the ammonium ion on proton conduction in porous ionic crystals based on Keggin-type silicododecatungstate.

Proton conduction in crystalline porous materials has received much attention from basic scientific research through to practical applications. Polyoxometalates (POMs) can efficiently transport protons because of their small superficial negative charge density. A simple method for enhancing proton conductivity is to introduce NH4+ into the crystal structure, because NH4+ can form hydrogen bonds and function as a proton carrier. According to these considerations, NH4+ was introduced into the porous structure of A2[Cr3O(OOCH)6(etpy)3]2[α-SiW12O40]·nH2O (A = Li, Na, K and Cs; etpy = 4-ethylpyridine) (I-A+) via topotactic cation exchange. The resulting compound, diammonium tris(4-ethylpyridine)hexaformatooxidotrichromium α-silicododecatungstate hexahydrate, (NH4)2[Cr3(CHO2)6O(C7H9N)3]2[α-SiW12O40]·6H2O, showed high proton conductivity and low activation energy under high relative humidity (RH), suggesting that protons migrate efficiently via rearrangement of the hydrogen-bonding network formed by the NH4+ cations and the waters of crystallization (Grotthuss mechanism). The proton conductivity and activation energy greatly decreased and increased, respectively, with the decrease in RH, suggesting that protons migrate as NH4+ and/or H3O+ under low RH (vehicle mechanism).

Proton conduction in alkali metal ion-exchanged porous ionic crystals.

Proton conduction in alkali metal ion-exchanged porous ionic crystals A2[Cr3O(OOCH)6(etpy)3]2[α-SiW12O40]·nH2O [I-A+] (A = Li, Na, K, Cs, etpy = 4-ethylpyridine) is investigated. Single crystal and powder X-ray diffraction measurements show that I-A+ possesses analogous one-dimensional channels where alkali metal ions (A+) and water of crystallization exist. Impedance spectroscopy and water diffusion measurements of I-A+ show that proton conductivities are low (10-7-10-6 S cm-1) under low relative humidity (RH), and protons mostly migrate as H3O+ with H2O as vehicles (vehicle mechanism). The proton conductivity of I-A+ increases with the increase in RH and is largely dependent on the types of alkali metal ions. I-Li+ shows a high proton conductivity of 1.9 × 10-3 S cm-1 (323 K) and a low activation energy of 0.23 eV under RH 95%. Under high RH, alkali metal ions with high ionic potentials (e.g., Li+) form a dense and extensive hydrogen-bonding network of water molecules with mobile protons at the periphery, which leads to high proton conductivities and low activation energies via rearrangement of the hydrogen-bonding network (Grotthuss mechanism).

Synergetic effect in heterogeneous acid catalysis by a porous ionic crystal based on Al(iii)-salphen and polyoxometalate.

A porous ionic crystal is synthesized with a cationic Al(iii)-salphen complex (Al(iii)-salphen) and a α-Keggin-type polyoxometalate (POM). The compound possesses stable three dimensional porous structure and shows high activity as a heterogeneous catalyst in pinacol rearrangement, which is a typical acid reaction. Notably, Al(iii)-salphen, POM, and a physical mixture of the two components are much less active, suggesting a synergetic effect of Al(iii)-salphen and POM in a porous framework.

Rigid-to-Flexible Conformational Transformation: An Efficient Route to Ring-Opening of a Tröger's Base-Containing Ladder Polymer.

The synthesis of ladder polymers is still a big challenge in polymer chemistry, and in particular, there are few examples of conformationally flexible well-defined ladder polymers. Here we report an efficient and convenient route to conformationally flexible ladder polymers, which is based on a postpolymerization reaction of a rigid ladder polymer containing Tröger's base in its main chain. The postpolymerization reaction involves sequential N-methylation and hydrolysis for the Tröger's base unit, resulting in a diazacyclooctane skeleton that can exhibit a ring-flipping motion. Molecular dynamics simulations predicted that this motion provides conformational flexibility with the resultant ladder polymer, which was demonstrated by 1H NMR spectroscopy in solution. The presence of the diazacyclooctane units in the flexible ladder polymer allowed further functionalization through reactions involving its secondary amine moiety. The present synthetic method may lead to the development of a new class of ladder polymers that exhibit both conformational and design flexibility.

Mechanism of Decomposition of Surface Ethoxy Species to Ethene and Acidic OH Groups on H-ZSM-5.

The reaction mechanism of the decomposition of ethoxy species to ethene and acidic OH groups on H-ZSM-5 was studied by IR spectroscopy using isotope-labeled ethanol. The concerted mechanism occurring on both the ethoxy (acid) site and the counterpart lattice oxygen was suggested by GC-MS analysis of evolved d2-ethene and IR observation of the recovery of OH s groups on acid sites from the decomposition of CH3CD2O- ethoxy species. The concerted mechanism was further confirmed by the estimation of activation energy for decomposition of CH3CH2O-, CH3CD2O-, and CD3CD2O- ethoxy species, 122 ± 3, 125 ± 3, and 140 ± 5 kJ mol(-1), respectively, where the kinetic isotope effect was observed for the cleavage of the CH or CD bond of the methyl group of the ethoxy species.