Preparation, characterization and luminescent properties of MCM-41 type materials impregnated with rare earth complex

Hybrid materials incorporating Eu-(TTA)(3). 2H(2)O (7hereafter designated as Eu-TTA, with TTA: thenoyltrifluoroacetone) in unmodified or modified MCM-41 by 3-aminopropyl-triethoxysilane (APTES) were prepared by impregnation method. The obtained materials were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), IR and diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and luminescence spectra. All the hybrid samples exhibited the characteristic emission bands of EU3+ under UV light excitation at room temperature, and the excitation spectra showed significant blue-shifts compared to the pure rare-earth complex. Although the red emission intensity in the modified hybrid was almost the half of the red emission intensity in the pure Eu-TTA complex at room temperature, the hybrid showed a much higher thermal stability due to the shielding character of the MCM-41 host.

Isobutane/butene alkylation over supported heteropoly acid catalysts: I. Influence of the structure of silica

Catalysts consisting of heteropoly acids (HPAs) supported on different silica and mesoporous molecular sieves have been prepared by impregnation and the sol-gel method, respectively, and their catalytic behavior in fixed-bed alkylation of isobutane with butene has been investigated. The activity, selectivity and stability of the supported-HPA catalysts could be correlated with the surface acidity of the catalysts, the structure of supports as well as the time on stream (TOS). In the fixed-bed reactor, the acidity of the heteropoly acid is favorable to the formation of dimerization products (C-8(=)); especially, the pore size of supports was seen to have an important effect on activity and product distribution of the catalysts. Contrary to the traditional solid-acid catalysts, the supported-HPA catalysts own an excellent stability for alkylation, which makes it possible for these supported catalysts to replace the liquid-acid catalysts used in industry.

Hydroxylation of phenol by iron(II)-phenanthroline(Phen) MCM-41 zeolite

MCM-41 mesoporous molecular sieve and iron(II)-Phen/MCM-41 have been prepared and characterized by XRD, IR, NH3-TPD, BET and UV-Vis. The iron(II)-Phen/MCM-41 molecular sieve + 30% H2O2 system is capable of performing hydroxylation of phenol.

Synthesis and characterization of manganese-modified MCM-41

Manganese-modified mesoporous MCM-41 molecular sieves were synthesized at the absence of alkaline metal ions under mild alkaline condition using cetylpyridinium bromide surfactant as a template, and characterized with X-ray diffraction, N-2 adsorption, transmission electron microscopy, electron spin resonance (ESR), and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopies. The synthesized MnMCM-41 has a high pore volume of 1.30 cm(3) g(-1) with a corresponding surface area of 1510 m(2) g(-1). The ESR and Si-29 MAS NMR spectra revealed the presence of framework manganese ions in either the as-synthesized or calcined forms. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Ultrasonic synthesis of silica-alumina nanomaterials with controlled mesopore distribution without using surfactants

A novel sol-gel process has been developed for the synthesis of amorphous silica-aluminas with controlled mesopore distribution without the use of organic templating agents, e.g., surfactant molecules. Ultrasonic treatment during the synthesis enables production of precursor sols with narrow particle size distribution. Atomic force microscopy analysis shows that these sol particles are spherical in shape with a narrow size distribution (i.e., 13-25 nm) and their aggregation during the gelation creates clusters containing similar sized interparticle mesopores. A nitrogen physiadsorption study indicates that the mesoporous materials containing different Si/Al ratios prepared by the new synthesis method has a large specific surface area (i.e., 587-692 m(2)/g) and similar pore sizes of 2-11 nm. Solid-state Al-27 magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR shows that most of the aluminum is located in the tetrahedral position. A transmission electron microscopy (TEM) image shows that the mesoporous silica-alumina consists of 12-25 nm spheres. Additionally, high-resolution TEM and electron diffraction indicate that some nanoparticles are characteristic of a crystal, although X-ray diffraction and Si-29 MAS NMR analysis show an amorphous material.

Synthesis of NaA zeolite membranes from clear solution

NaA zeolite membranes were successfully synthesized on a porous alpha -Al2O3 support from clear solution. The synthesis parameters, such as surface seeding, synthesis time, synthesis stages, etc. were investigated. Surface seeding can not only accelerate the formation of NaA zeolite on the support surface, but can also inhibit the transformation of NaA zeolite into other types of zeolites. A continuous NaA zeolite membrane formed on the seeded support after 2 h of synthesis. Gas permeation results showed that a synthesis time of 3 h produced the best NaA zeolite membrane. When the synthesis time was longer than 4 h, the NaA zeolite on the support surface began to transform into other types of zeolites, and the quality of the NaA zeolite membrane decreased. The quality of the NaA zeolite membrane can be improved by employing the multi-stage synthesis method. The NaA zeolite membrane with a synthesis time of 2 h after a two-stage synthesis showed the best gas permeation performance. The permeances of H-2, O-2, N-2, and n-C4H10 decreased as the molecular kinetic diameter of the gases increased. which showed the molecular sieving effect of the NaA zeolite membrane. The permselectivities of H-2/n-C4H10 and O-2/N-2 were 19.1 and 1.8, respectively. These values are higher than the Knudsen diffusion ratios of 5.39 and 0.94. However, the permeation of n-C4H10 also indicated that the NaA zeolite membrane had certain defects with diameters larger than the pore size of NaA zeolite. A synthesis model was proposed to clarify the effect of surface seeding. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Coke formation during the methanol conversion to olefins in zeolites studied by UV Raman spectroscopy

Coke formation on/in ZSM-5, USY and SAPO-34 zeolites was investigated during the methanol conversion to olefins at temperatures from 298 to 773 K using ultraviolet (UV) Raman spectroscopy. The fluorescence interference that usually obscures the Raman spectra of zeolites in the conventional Raman spectroscopy, particularly for coked catalysts, can be successfully avoided in the UV Raman spectroscopy. Raman spectra are almost the same for adsorbed methanol on the three zeolites at room temperature. However, the Raman spectra of the surface species formed at elevated temperatures are quite different for the three zeolites. Coke species formed in/on SAPO-34 are mainly polyolefinic species, and in/on ZSM-5 are some aromatic species, but polyaromatic or substituted aromatic species are predominant in USY at high temperatures. Most of the coke species can be removed after a treatment with O-2 at 773 K, while some small amount of coke species always remains in these zeolites, particularly for USY. The main reason for the different behavior of coke formation in the three zeolites could be attributed to the different pore structures of the zeolites. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

The stability of nanosized HZSM-5 zeolite: a high-resolution solid-state NMR study

The thermal and hydrothermal stabilities of HZSM-5 zeolites with crystal sizes less than 100 nm have been studied by multinuclear solid-state NMR, combined with BET and XRD. As evidenced by Al-27 and Si-29 MAS as well as their corresponding cross-polarization/MAS NMR investigations, the thermal stability of nanosized HZSM-5 is not so good as that of microsized HZSM-5. This is due to two processes concerning dealumination and desilicification involved in the calcination of nanosized HZSM-5, while only the dealumination process is conducted in microsized HZSM-5 under the similar calcination process. The hydrothermal stability of nanosized HZSM-5 is, contrary to what was expected, not so bad as that of the microsized HZSM-5 in the course of steam treatment. The actual resistance of the hydrothermal stability to the crystal size of HZSM-5 can be ascribed to an active reconstruction of zeolitic framework through an effective filling of amorphous Si species into nanosized HZSM-5 during hydrothermal treatment. (C) 2001 Published by Elsevier Science B.V.

On the formation of vertically oriented MCM-22 zeolite crystal films

Growth of MCM-22 zeolite films on glass substrates was studied with the focus on the understanding of the unusual vertical crystal orientation. The films formed were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Separate thin disk-like MCM-22 crystals were found vertically oriented at the early crystallization stage. With crystallization the crystals grew into thick disks and finally into continuous films. The vertically oriented MCM-22 thin crystals could be developed from the orientation of columnar MCM-22 nuclei, which have larger parameters in their c-directions than those in a and b directions. The preferred orientation of MCM-22 nuclei and the fast growth rate in the layer direction are responsible for the vertical growth of MCM-22 zeolite films. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

UV Raman spectroscopic study on the synthesis mechanism of zeolite X

The synthesis of zeolite X is characterized by UV Raman spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. UV Raman spectra of the liquid phase of the synthesis system indicate that AI(OH); species are incorporated into silicate species, and the polymeric silicate species are depolymerized into monomeric silicate species during the early stage of zeolite formation. An. intermediate species possessing Raman bands at 307, 503, 858 and 1020 cm(-1) is detected during the crystallization ill the solid phase transformation. The intermediate species is attributed to the beta cage, the secondary building unit of zeolite X. A model for the formation of zeolite X is proposed, which involves four-membered rings connecting to each other via six-membered ring to form beta cages, then the beta cages interconnect via double six-membered rings to form the framework of zeolite X. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization of aluminosilicate zeolites by UV Raman spectroscopy

A series of aluminosilicate zeolites are characterized by UV Raman spectroscopy for the first time, and UV Raman spectra of various zeolites give strong and clear bands with high resolution, while conventional Raman spectra of these zeolites are difficult to obtain because of a strong background fluorescence. Additionally, these zeolites show several new bands in UV Raman spectroscopy. A summary of these UV Raman spectra over various zeolites suggests that the bands at 470-530, 370-430, 290-410, and 220-280 cm(-1) can be assigned to the bending modes of 4-, 5-, 6-, and 8-membered rings of aluminosilicate zeolites, respectively. Furthermore, it is found that the band intensity of zeolites in UV Raman spectroscopy is dependent on the Si/Al ratio. Moreover, the UV Raman spectra of crystallization, for zeolite X at various times show that, in the initial stage of crystallization, the 4-membered rings (510 cm(-1)) interconnect each other to form beta -cages with 6-membered rings (390 cm(-1)), which further crystallize to zeolite X. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterizations and activities of the nano-sized Ni/Al2O3 and Ni/La-Al2O3 catalysts for NH3 decomposition

A series of nano-sized Ni/Al2O3 and Ni/La-Al2O3 catalysts that possess high activities for NH3 decomposition have been successfully synthesized by a coprecipitation method. The catalytic performance was investigated under the atmospheric conditions and a significant enhancement in the activity after the introduction of La was observed. Aiming to study the influence of La promoter on the physicochemical properties, we characterized the catalysts by N-2 adsorption/desorption, XRD, H-2-TPR, chemisorption and TEM techniques. Physisorption results suggested a high specific surface area and XRD spectra showed that nickel particles are in a highly dispersed state. A combination of XRD, TEM and chemisorption showed that Ni-0 particles with the average size lower, than 5.0 nm are always obtained even though the Ni loading ranged widely from 4 to 63 %. Compared with the Ni/Al2O3 catalysts, the Ni/La-Al2O3 ones with an appropriate amount of promoter enjoy a more open mesoporous structure and higher dispersion of Ni. Reduction kinetic studies of prepared catalysts were investigated by temperature-programmed reduction (TPR) method and the fact that La additive partially destroyed the metastable Ni-Al mixed oxide phase was detailed. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dibenzodioxin adsorption on inorganic materials

Dibenzodioxin adsorption/desorption on solid surfaces is an important issue associated with the formation, adsorption, and emission of dioxins. Dibenzodioxin adsorption/desorption behaviors on inorganic materials (amorphous/mesoporous silica, metal oxides, and zeolites) were investigated using in situ FT-IR spectroscopy and thermogravimetric (TG) analysis. Desorption temperatures of adsorbed dibenzodioxin are very different for different kinds of inorganic materials: similar to 200 degrees C for amorphous/mesoporous silica, similar to 230 degrees C for metal oxides, and similar to 450 degrees C for NaY and mordenite zeolites. The adsorption of dibenzodioxin can be grouped into three categories according to the red shifts of the IR band at 1496 cm(-1) of the aromatic ring for the adsorbed dibenzodioxin: a shift of 6 cm-1 for amorphous/mesoporous silica, a shift of 10 cm(-1) for metal oxides, and a shift of 14 cm(-1) for NaY and mordenite, suggesting that the IR shifts are proposed to associated with the strength of the interaction between adsorbed dibenzodioxin and the inorganic materials. It is proposed that the dibenzodioxin adsorption is mainly via the following three interactions: hydrogen bonding with the surface hydroxyl groups on amorphous/mesoporous silica, complexation with Lewis acid sites on metal oxides, and confinement effect of pores of mordenite and NaY with pore size close to the molecular size of dibenzodioxin.