Managing supply chain integration:contemporary approaches and scope for further research

The editorial section of the special issue of Production Planning & Control discusses contemporary approaches and scope for further research into the management of supply chain integration. Supply chain integration (SCI) is one of the major challenges in enhancing supply chain performance. Building and sustaining competitive advantage requires strategic collaboration between supply chain partners and synchronized management of intra- and inter-organizational practices and processes. The special issue attempts to address some of the fundamental SCI questions, which include but are not limited to the fields of organizational collaboration, information technology (IT) use, and risk and vulnerability management. The editorial first reviews a few key articles on SCI to provide information about the existing state of knowledge on SCI along with scope for further research.

In situ studies of titania-supported Au shell-Pd core nanoparticles for the selective aerobic oxidation of crotyl alcohol

The thermal evolution of titania-supported Au shell–Pd core bimetallic nanoparticles, prepared via colloidal routes, has been investigated by in situ XPS, DRIFTS, EXAFS and XRD and ex situ HRTEM. As-prepared nanoparticles are terminated by a thin (∼5 layer) Au shell, encapsulating approximately 20 nm diameter cuboctahedral palladium cores, with the ensemble stabilised by citrate ligands. The net gold composition was 40 atom%. Annealing in vacuo or under inert atmosphere rapidly pyrolyses the citrate ligands, but induces only limited Au/Pd intermixing and particle growth <300 °C. Higher temperatures promote more dramatic alloying, accompanied by significant sintering and surface roughening. These changes are mirrored by the nanoparticle catalysed liquid phase selective aerobic oxidation of crotyl alcohol to crotonaldehyde; palladium surface segregation enhances both activity and selectivity, with the most active surface alloy attainable containing ∼40 atom% Au.

Mesoporous silicas as versatile supports to tune the palladium-catalyzed selective aerobic oxidation of allylic alcohols

Surfactant templating offers a simple route to synthesize high-surface area silicas with ordered, tunable mesopore architectures. The use of these materials as versatile catalyst supports for palladium nanoparticles has been explored in the aerobic selective oxidation (selox) of allylic alcohols under mild conditions. Families of Pd/mesoporous silicas, synthesized through incipient wetness impregnation of SBA-15, SBA-16, and KIT-6, have been characterized by using nitrogen porosimetry, CO chemisorption, diffuse reflection infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray absorption spectroscopy, and high-resolution TEM and benchmarked in liquid phase allylic alcohol selox against a Pd/amorphous SiO2 standard. The transition from amorphous to two-dimensional parallel and three-dimensional interpenetrating porous silica networks conferred significant selox rate enhancements associated with higher surface densities of active palladium oxide sites. Dissolved oxygen was essential for insitu stabilization of palladium oxide, and thus maintenance of high activity on-stream, whereas selectivity to the desired aldehyde selox product over competing hydrogenolysis pathways was directed by using palladium metal. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Enhanced selective aerobic alcohol oxidation through nanoengineered catalyst supports

The selective conversion of alcohols to their carbonyl derivatives is a critical step towards a sustainable chemical industry. Heterogeneous Pd catalysts represent some of the most active systems known, even so further studies into the active species and role of support are required. Through controlling support mesostructure, using non-interconnected SBA-15 and interlinked SBA-16 and KIT-6, we have evaluated the role of pore architecture on supported Pd nanoparticles and their subsequent activity for liquid phase aerobic allylic alcohol selective oxidation.[1,2] These synthesised silica supports exhibit high surface areas (>800 m2g-1), and similar mesopore diameters (3.5 to 5 nm), but differ in their pore connectivity and arrangement; p6mm (SBA-15), I3mm (SBA-16) and I3ad (KIT-6). When evaluated alongside commercial non-mesoporous silica (200 m2 g-1) they promote enhanced Pd dispersion with interpenetrating assemblies providing further elevation. Macropore introduction into SBA-15, producing a hierarchical macro-mesoporous silica (MM-SBA-15), allows control over mesopore length and accessibility which escalates Pd distribution to levels akin to KIT-6 and SBA-16. Controlling dispersion, and likewise nanoparticle size, is thus facilitated through the choice of support and additionally Pd loading, with cluster sizes spanning 3.2 to 0.8 nm. X-ray spectroscopies indicate nanoparticles are PdO terminated with the oxide content a function of dispersion. Kinetic studies allude to surface PdO being the active site responsible, with a constant TOF observed, independent of loading and support. This confirms activity is governed by PdO density, whilst also overruling internal mass diffusion constraints. MM-SBA-15 facilitates superior activity and TOFs for long chain acyclic terpene alcohols due to reduced internal mass transport constraints.

Hierarchically ordered nanoporous Pd/SBA-15 catalyst for the aerobic selective oxidation of sterically challenging allylic alcohols

The utility of a hierarchically ordered nanoporous SBA-15 architecture, comprising 270 nm macropores and 5 nm mesopores (MM-SBA-15), for the catalytic aerobic selective oxidation of sterically challenging allylic alcohols is shown. Detailed bulk and surface characterization reveals that incorporation of complementary macropores into mesoporous SBA-15 enhances the dispersion of sub 2 nm Pd nanoparticles and thus their degree of surface oxidation. Kinetic profiling reveals a relationship between nanoparticle dispersion and oxidation rate, identifying surface PdO as the catalytically active phase. Hierarchical nanoporous Pd/MM-SBA-15 outperforms mesoporous analogues in allylic alcohol selective oxidation by (i) stabilizing PdO nanoparticles and (ii) dramatically improving in-pore diffusion and access to active sites by sesquiterpenoid substrates such as farnesol and phytol. © 2013 American Chemical Society.

Tunable Pt nanocatalysts for the aerobic selox of cinnamyl alcohol

The selective aerobic oxidation of cinnamyl alcohol over Pt nanoparticles has been tuned via the use of mesoporous silica supports to control their dispersion and oxidation state. High area two-dimensional SBA-15, and three-dimensional, interconnected KIT-6 silica significantly enhance Pt dispersion, and thus surface PtO2 concentration, over that achievable via commercial low surface area silica. Selective oxidation activity scales with Pt dispersion in the order KIT-6 ≥ SBA-15 > SiO2, evidencing surface PtO2 as the active site for cinnamyl alcohol selox to cinnamaldehyde. Kinetic mapping has quantified key reaction pathways, and the importance of high O2 partial pressures for cinnamaldehyde production. © 2013 The Royal Society of Chemistry.

Support-enhanced selective aerobic alcohol oxidation over Pd/mesoporous silicas

The influence of silica mesostructure upon the Pd-catalyzed selective oxidation of allylic alcohols has been investigated for amorphous and surfactant-templated SBA-15, SBA-16, and KIT-6 silicas. Significant rate enhancements can be achieved via mesopore introduction, most notably through the use of interconnected porous silica frameworks, reflecting both improved mass transport and increased palladium dispersion; catalytic activity decreases in the order Pd/KIT-6 ≈ Pd/SBA-16 > Pd/SBA-15 > Pd/SiO2. Evidence is presented that highly dispersed palladium oxide nanoparticles, not zerovalent palladium, are the catalytically active species. © 2011 American Chemical Society.

Recent advances in the heterogeneously catalysed aerobic selective oxidation of alcohols

The heterogeneously catalysed selective aerobic oxidation of alcohols is an important tool for the synthesis of valuable chemical intermediates and a hot topic within both academic and industrial arenas. In this mini-review, selected aspects of catalyst formulation, process operating conditions, and progress in identifying the active sites and surface reaction mechanisms notably through the application of synchrotron radiation, are highlighted. © 2010 Society of Chemical Industry.

Crunch time for bank audits? Questions of practice and scope for dialogue

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review the way in which auditing issues have been raised and addressed during the credit crunch and developing global financial crisis. Design/methodology/approach – Analysis is based on a review of the academic auditing literature, regulatory and audit reports, together with papers from the financial press. Findings – After highlighting the relative lack of media attention devoted to the external auditing function in the light of major corporate collapses, the paper considers what, contrastingly, is an active and ongoing series of responses to the current crisis on the part of auditing firms and the profession more generally. Through such analysis the paper explores a number of implications of the credit crunch for both auditing practice and research. Research limitations/implications – The paper is constrained in part by the rapidly unfolding nature of events, with important policy developments arising almost on a daily basis. The paper draws primarily on events up to the beginning of October 2008. Practical implications – The paper has important messages for audit practice and research, including the technical capacities of external audits in the banking sector, the contributions of standard setting bodies and regulatory oversight, and the scope for enhanced dialogue between such parties and audit researchers. Originality/value - The paper serves both to focus and stimulate analysis of the credit crunch on the audit profession. It demonstrates the complexity of contemporary practice and highlights the importance, especially from an educational perspective, of developing understanding of banking audit practice and associated regulatory interactions – including the presented possibilities both for research and enhanced academic‐practitioner dialogue.

High-activity, single-site mesoporous Pd/Al2O3 catalysts for selective aerobic oxidation of allylic alcohols

Pd does it alone : Tailored heterogeneous catalysts offer exciting, alternative, clean technologies for regioselective molecular transformations. A mesoporous alumina support stabilizes atomically dispersed PdII surface sites (see picture, C light gray, O red, Pd dark gray, Al purple, H white), thereby dramatically enhancing catalytic performance in the aerobic selective oxidation of alcohols.

Structure-reactivity correlations in the selective aerobic oxidation of cinnamyl alcohol:in situ XAFS

The structural evolution of a Pd/C catalyst during the liquid phase selective aerobic oxidation of cinnamyl alcohol has been followed by in situ XAFS and XPS. The fresh catalyst comprised highly dispersed, heavily oxidised Pd particles. Cinnamyl alcohol oxidation resulted in the rapid reduction of surface palladium oxide and a small degree of concomitant particle growth. These structural changes coincided with a large drop in catalytic activity. Prereduced Pd/C exhibited a significantly lower initial oxidation rate demonstrating the importance of surface metal oxide in effecting catalytic oxidation. Use of a Pd black model system confirmed that the oxide→metal transformation was the cause, and not result, of catalyst deactivation.