Metal oxide redox chemistry for chemical looping processes

Selective C-H Bond Activation in Propane with Molecular Oxygen over Cu(I)-ZSM-5 at Ambient Conditions

Selective activation of C-H bonds in light alkanes under mild conditions is challenging but holds the promise of efficient upgrading of abundant hydrocarbons. In this work, we report the conversion of propane to propylene with ∼95% selectivity on Cu(I)-ZSM-5 with O2 at room temperature and pressure. The intraporous Cu(I) species was oxidized to Cu(II) during the reaction but could be regenerated with H2 at 220 °C. Diffuse reflectance ultraviolet spectroscopy indicated the presence of both Cu+-O2 and Cu2(μ-O2)2+ species in the zeolite pores during the reaction, and electron paramagnetic resonance results showed that propane activation occurred via a radical-mediated pathway distinct from that with H2O2 as the oxidant. Correlation between spectroscopic and reactivity results on Cu(I)-ZSM-5 with different Cu loadings suggests that the isolated intraporous Cu(I) species is the main active species in propane activation.

Reduction of (100)-Faceted CeO2 for Effective Pt Loading

Although the function and stability of catalysts are known to significantly depend on their dispersion state and support interactions, the mechanism of catalyst loading has not yet been elucidated. To address this gap in knowledge, this study elucidates the mechanism of Pt loading based on a detailed investigation of the interaction between Pt species and localized polarons (Ce3+) associated with oxygen vacancies on CeO2(100) facets. Furthermore, an effective Pt loading method was proposed for achieving high catalytic activity while maintaining the stability. Enhanced dispersibility and stability of Pt were achieved by controlling the ionic interactions between dissolved Pt species and CeO2 surface charges via pH adjustment and reduction pretreatment of the CeO2 support surface. This process resulted in strong interactions between Pt and the CeO2 support. Consequently, the oxygen-carrier performance was improved for CH4 chemical looping reforming reactions. This simple interaction-based loading process enhanced the catalytic performance, allowing the efficient use of noble metals with high performance and small loading amounts.

Atomically dispersed MoNi alloy catalyst for partial oxidation of methane

The catalytic partial oxidation of methane (POM) presents a promising technology for synthesizing syngas. However, it faces severe over-oxidation over catalyst surface. Attempts to modify metal surfaces by incorporating a secondary metal towards C-H bond activation of CH4 with moderate O* adsorption have remained the subject of intense research yet challenging. Herein, we report that high catalytic performance for POM can be achieved by the regulation of O* occupation in the atomically dispersed (AD) MoNi alloy, with over 95% CH4 conversion and 97% syngas selectivity at 800 °C. The combination of ex-situ/in-situ characterizations, kinetic analysis and DFT (density functional theory) calculations reveal that Mo-Ni dual sites in AD MoNi alloy afford the declined O2 poisoning on Ni sites with rarely weaken CH4 activation for partial oxidation pathway following the combustion reforming reaction (CRR) mechanism. These results underscore the effectiveness of CH4 turnovers by the design of atomically dispersed alloys with tunable O* adsorption.

Tungsten Strongly Inhibits Sintering of Porous Iron During High-Temperature Redox Cycling

Freeze-cast Fe-25 W (at%) lamellar foams show excellent resistance to degradation at 800 °C during steam-hydrogen redox cycling between the metallic and oxide states, with fast reaction kinetics maintained up to at least 100 redox cycles with full Fe utilization. This very high stability stems from the sintering inhibition of W combined with the freeze-cast architecture and the chemical vapor transport (CVT) mechanism of reduction. These three factors create a hierarchical porosity in the foam, consisting of i) macroscopic elongated channels, ii) micro-scale sintering inhibition pores, and iii) submicron CVT pores. Microstructural characterization via SEM and EDS is combined with in situ XRD to fully explore the phase evolution and microstructural impact of W on Fe during redox cycling. Comparison with tapped Fe-25 W (at%) powder beds reveals that the freeze-cast channels and lamellae are not critical to the performance of the material.

Structured Catalysts and Catalytic Processes: Transport and Reaction Perspectives

The structure of catalysts determines the performance of catalytic processes. Intrinsically, the electronic and geometric structures influence the interaction between active species and the surface of the catalyst, which subsequently regulates the adsorption, reaction, and desorption behaviors. In recent decades, the development of catalysts with complex structures, including bulk, interfacial, encapsulated, and atomically dispersed structures, can potentially affect the electronic and geometric structures of catalysts and lead to further control of the transport and reaction of molecules. This review describes comprehensive understandings on the influence of electronic and geometric properties and complex catalyst structures on the performance of relevant heterogeneous catalytic processes, especially for the transport and reaction over structured catalysts for the conversions of light alkanes and small molecules. The recent research progress of the electronic and geometric properties over the active sites, specifically for theoretical descriptors developed in the recent decades, is discussed at the atomic level. The designs and properties of catalysts with specific structures are summarized. The transport phenomena and reactions over structured catalysts for the conversions of light alkanes and small molecules are analyzed. At the end of this review, we present our perspectives on the challenges for the further development of structured catalysts and heterogeneous catalytic processes.

Photocatalytic non-oxidative conversion of methane

The direct conversion of methane to hydrogen and high-value hydrocarbons under mild conditions is an ideal, carbon-neutral method for utilizing natural gas resources. Compared with traditional high-temperature thermal catalytic methods, using clean light energy to activate inert C-H bonds in methane can not only significantly reduce the reaction temperature and avoid catalyst deactivation, but also surpass the limitations of thermodynamic equilibrium and provide new reaction pathways. This paper provides a comprehensive review of developments in the field of photocatalytic non-oxidative conversion of methane (PNOCM), while also highlighting our contributions, particularly focusing on catalyst design, product selectivity, and the underlying photophysical and chemical mechanisms. The challenges and potential solutions are also evaluated. The goal of this feature article is to establish a foundational understanding and stimulate further research in this emerging area.

Perovskites as oxygen storage materials for chemical looping partial oxidation and reforming of methane

The traditional partial oxidation, dry reforming and steam reforming of methane technologies are separated into two reactors for execution by chemical looping technology, which can avoid the defects exposed in the traditional process (avoiding carbon accumulation, reducing costs, etc.). The key to chemical looping technology is to find suitable oxygen carriers (OCs), which can store and release oxygen to form a closed loop in the chemical looping. The purpose of this review is to summarize the current status of perovskite oxides for partial oxidation and reforming of methane in chemical looping, describe the structure, oxygen capacity, oxygen migration rate and common synthesis methods of perovskites in chemical looping. In addition, the effects of impregnation loading, ion doping, and structural morphology on the catalytic conversion of CH4 by perovskite OCs and the reaction mechanism on the OCs are also discussed.

Lithium carbonate-promoted mixed rare earth oxides as a generalized strategy for oxidative coupling of methane with exceptional yields

The oxidative coupling of methane to higher hydrocarbons offers a promising autothermal approach for direct methane conversion, but its progress has been hindered by yield limitations, high temperature requirements, and performance penalties at practical methane partial pressures (~1 atm). In this study, we report a class of Li2CO3-coated mixed rare earth oxides as highly effective redox catalysts for oxidative coupling of methane under a chemical looping scheme. This catalyst achieves a single-pass C2+ yield up to 30.6%, demonstrating stable performance at 700 °C and methane partial pressures up to 1.4 atm. In-situ characterizations and quantum chemistry calculations provide insights into the distinct roles of the mixed oxide core and Li2CO3 shell, as well as the interplay between the Pr oxidation state and active peroxide formation upon Li2CO3 coating. Furthermore, we establish a generalized correlation between Pr4+ content in the mixed lanthanide oxide and hydrocarbons yield, offering a valuable optimization strategy for this class of oxidative coupling of methane redox catalysts.

New Triclinic Perovskite-Type Oxide Ba5CaFe4O12 for Low-Temperature Operated Chemical Looping Air Separation

We present the discovery of Ba5CaFe4O12, a new iron-based oxide with remarkable properties as a low-temperature driven oxygen storage material (OSM). OSMs, which exhibit selective and rapid oxygen intake and release capabilities, have attracted considerable attention in chemical looping technologies. Specifically, chemical looping air separation (CLAS) has the potential to revolutionize oxygen production as it is one of the most crucial industrial gases. However, the challenge lies in utilizing OSMs for energy-efficient CLAS at lower temperatures. Ba5CaFe4O12, a cost-competitive material, possesses an unprecedented 5-fold perovskite-type A5B5O15-δ structure, where both Fe and Ca occupy the B sites. This distinctive structure enables excellent oxygen intake/release properties below 400 °C. This oxide demonstrates the theoretical daily oxygen production rate of 2.41 mO23 kgOSM-1 at 370 °C, surpassing the performance of the previously reported material, Sr0.76Ca0.24FeO3-δ (0.81 mO23 kgOSM-1 at 550 °C). This discovery holds great potential for reducing costs and enhancing the energy efficiency in CLAS.

Tandem propane dehydrogenation and surface oxidation catalysts for selective propylene synthesis

Direct propane dehydrogenation (PDH) to propylene is a desirable commercial reaction but is highly endothermic and severely limited by thermodynamic equilibrium. Routes that oxidatively remove hydrogen as water have safety and cost challenges. We coupled chemical looping-selective hydrogen (H2) combustion and PDH with multifunctional ferric vanadate-vanadium oxide (FeVO4-VOx) redox catalysts. Well-dispersed VOx supported on aluminum oxide (Al2O3) provides dehydrogenation sites, and adjacent nanoscale FeVO4 acts as an oxygen carrier for subsequent H2 combustion. We achieved an integral performance of 81.3% propylene selectivity at 42.7% propane conversion at 550°C for 200 chemical looping cycles for the reoxidization of FeVO4. Based on catalytic experiments, spectroscopic characterization, and theory calculations, we propose a hydrogen spillover-mediated coupling mechanism. The hydrogen species generated at the VOx sites migrated to adjacent FeVO4 for combustion, which shifted PDH toward propylene. This mechanism is favored by the proximity between the dehydrogenation and combustion sites.

Electrospun PA6 Nanofibers Bearing the CeO2 Dephosphorylation Catalyst

Two types of CeO₂ nanoparticles (CeNPs) prepared by low-temperature (<100 °C) precipitation methods in water were successfully immobilized in a matrix of electrospun PA6 nanofibers. The colloidal solutions of CeNPs in AcOH were directly mixed with the polymer solution before the needle electrospinning process, thereby achieving their good dispersion in the nanofibers. CeNPs embedded in the structure and on the surface of nanofibers exposing their reactive surfaces showed robust dephosphorylation catalytic activity, as demonstrated by monitoring the hydrolytic cleavage of three phosphodiester molecules (p-NP-TMP, p-NPPC, BNPP) in water by the HPLC method. This procedure allowed us to study the kinetics and mechanism of the hydrolytic cleavage and the ability of immobilized CeNPs to cleave different types of P-O bonds. One of the main hydrolysis products, p-nitrophenol, was effectively adsorbed on PA6 nanofibers, which may allow the selective separation of the degradation products after hydrolysis.

Concerted oxygen diffusion across heterogeneous oxide interfaces for intensified propane dehydrogenation

Propane dehydrogenation (PDH) is an industrial technology for direct propylene production which has received extensive attention in recent years. Nevertheless, existing non-oxidative dehydrogenation technologies still suffer from the thermodynamic equilibrium limitations and severe coking. Here, we develop the intensified propane dehydrogenation to propylene by the chemical looping engineering on nanoscale core-shell redox catalysts. The core-shell redox catalyst combines dehydrogenation catalyst and solid oxygen carrier at one particle, preferably compose of two to three atomic layer-type vanadia coating ceria nanodomains. The highest 93.5% propylene selectivity is obtained, sustaining 43.6% propylene yield under 300 long-term dehydrogenation-oxidation cycles, which outperforms an analog of industrially relevant K-CrO_x/Al₂O₃ catalysts and exhibits 45% energy savings in the scale-up of chemical looping scheme. Combining in situ spectroscopies, kinetics, and theoretical calculation, an intrinsically dynamic lattice oxygen "donator-acceptor" process is proposed that O^2- generated from the ceria oxygen carrier is boosted to diffuse and transfer to vanadia dehydrogenation sites via a concerted hopping pathway at the interface, stabilizing surface vanadia with moderate oxygen coverage at pseudo steady state for selective dehydrogenation without significant overoxidation or cracking.

Biomass chemical looping gasification for syngas production using modified hematite as oxygen carriers

Syngas is a clean energy carrier and a major industrial feedstock. In this paper, syngas was produced via biomass chemical looping gasification (CLG) process. Hematite, the most common Fe-based oxygen carrier (OC), was modified with different metal oxides (CeO₂, CaO and MgO) by the impregnation method. The hematite modified by CeO₂, CaO and MgO was namely as CeO₂-hematite (CeO₂-H), CaO-hematite (CaO-H) and MgO-hematite (MgO-H), respectively. The introduction of CeO₂, CaO and MgO enhanced the reactivity of lattice oxygen of hematite. The optimum condition for syngas production had been explored as the mass ratio of oxygen carrier to biomass (O/B) of 0.2, the mass ratio of steam to biomass (S/B) of 0.75 and temperature of 800°C in the biomass CLG process. The CeO₂-H exhibited the most wonderful performance compared to that for CaO-H and MgO-H. The crystal composition of OC influenced greatly in the CLG process. CeFeO₃ had a good oxygen mobility property and lattice oxygen releasing capacity due to the most oxygen vacancy distributed on the OC surface and the most active lattice oxygen, which is conducive to the biomass chemical looping gasification process for syngas production, leading to the highest gasification efficiency of 95.86% and gas yield of 1.20 m³/kg of the three. Cyclic test proved that CeO₂-H had well sintering resistance and cyclic performance.

Ru-promoted perovskites as effective redox catalysts for CO2 splitting and methane partial oxidation in a cyclic redox scheme

The current study reports A_xA'_1-xB_yB'_1-yO_3-δ perovskite redox catalysts (RCs) for CO₂-splitting and methane partial oxidation (POx) in a cyclic redox scheme. Strontium (Sr) and iron (Fe) were chosen as A and B site elements with A' being lanthanum (La), samarium (Sm) or yttrium (Y), and B' being manganese (Mn) or titanium (Ti) to tailor their equilibrium oxygen partial pressures (P_O2s) for CO₂-splitting and methane partial oxidation. DFT calculations were performed for predictive optimization of the oxide materials whereas experimental investigation confirmed the DFT-predicted redox performance. The redox kinetics of the RCs improved significantly by 1 wt% ruthenium (Ru) impregnation without affecting their redox thermodynamics. Ru-impregnated LaFe_0.375Mn_0.625O₃ (A = 0, A' = La, B = Fe, and B' = Mn) was the most promising RC in terms of its superior redox performance (CH₄/CO₂ conversion >90% and CO selectivity ∼95%) at 800 °C. Long-term redox testing over Ru-impregnated LaFe_0.375Mn_0.625O₃ indicated a stable performance during the first 30 cycles followed by an ∼25% decrease in the activity during the last 70 cycles. Air treatment was effective to reactivate the redox catalyst. Detailed characterizations revealed the underlying mechanism of the redox catalyst deactivation and reactivation. This study not only validated a DFT-guided mixed oxide design strategy for CO₂ utilization but also provides potentially effective approaches to enhance redox kinetics and long-term redox catalyst performance.

Chemical looping based ammonia production-A promising pathway for production of the noncarbon fuel

Ammonia, primarily made with Haber-Bosch process developed in 1909 and winning two Nobel prizes, is a promising noncarbon fuel for preventing global warming of 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels. However, the undesired characteristics of the process, including high carbon footprint, necessitate alternative ammonia synthesis methods, and among them is chemical looping ammonia production (CLAP) that uses nitrogen carrier materials and operates at atmospheric pressure with high product selectivity and energy efficiency. To date, neither a systematic review nor a perspective in nitrogen carriers and CLAP has been reported in the critical area. Thus, this work not only assesses the previous results of CLAP but also provides perspectives towards the future of CLAP. It classifies, characterizes, and holistically analyzes the fundamentally different CLAP pathways and discusses the ways of further improving the CLAP performance with the assistance of plasma technology and artificial intelligence (AI).

Light olefin synthesis from a diversity of renewable and fossil feedstocks: state-of the-art and outlook

Light olefins are important feedstocks and platform molecules for the chemical industry. Their synthesis has been a research priority in both academia and industry. There are many different approaches to the synthesis of these compounds, which differ by the choice of raw materials, catalysts and reaction conditions. The goals of this review are to highlight the most recent trends in light olefin synthesis and to perform a comparative analysis of different synthetic routes using several quantitative characteristics: selectivity, productivity, severity of operating conditions, stability, technological maturity and sustainability. Traditionally, on an industrial scale, the cracking of oil fractions has been used to produce light olefins. Methanol-to-olefins, alkane direct or oxidative dehydrogenation technologies have great potential in the short term and have already reached scientific and technological maturities. Major progress should be made in the field of methanol-mediated CO and CO₂ direct hydrogenation to light olefins. The electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to light olefins is a very attractive process in the long run due to the low reaction temperature and possible use of sustainable electricity. The application of modern concepts such as electricity-driven process intensification, looping, CO₂ management and nanoscale catalyst design should lead in the near future to more environmentally friendly, energy efficient and selective large-scale technologies for light olefin synthesis.

Precursor engineering of hydrotalcite-derived redox sorbents for reversible and stable thermochemical oxygen storage

Chemical looping processes based on multiple-step reduction and oxidation of metal oxides hold great promise for a variety of energy applications, such as CO₂ capture and conversion, gas separation, energy storage, and redox catalytic processes. Copper-based mixed oxides are one of the most promising candidate materials with a high oxygen storage capacity. However, the structural deterioration and sintering at high temperatures is one key scientific challenge. Herein, we report a precursor engineering approach to prepare durable copper-based redox sorbents for use in thermochemical looping processes for combustion and gas purification. Calcination of the CuMgAl hydrotalcite precursors formed mixed metal oxides consisting of CuO nanoparticles dispersed in the Mg-Al oxide support which inhibited the formation of copper aluminates during redox cycling. The copper-based redox sorbents demonstrated enhanced reaction rates, stable O₂ storage capacity over 500 redox cycles at 900 °C, and efficient gas purification over a broad temperature range. We expect that our materials design strategy has broad implications on synthesis and engineering of mixed metal oxides for a range of thermochemical processes and redox catalytic applications.

Thermochemical redox reactions of metal oxides are promising for CO₂ capture, gas purification, air separation, and energy storage. Here, the authors report mixed metal oxides derived from layered double hydroxides precursors, and demonstrate their reversible and stable thermochemical oxygen storage.

Alkali metal halide-coated perovskite redox catalysts for anaerobic oxidative dehydrogenation of n-butane

Oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of n-butane has the potential to efficiently produce butadiene without equilibrium limitation or coke formation. Despite extensive research efforts, single-pass butadiene yields are limited to <23% in conventional catalytic ODH with gaseous O₂. This article reports molten LiBr as an effective promoter to modify a redox-active perovskite oxide, i.e., La_0.8Sr_0.2FeO₃ (LSF), for chemical looping-oxidative dehydrogenation of n-butane (CL-ODHB). Under the working state, the redox catalyst is composed of a molten LiBr layer covering the solid LSF substrate. Characterizations and ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) simulations indicate that peroxide species formed on LSF react with molten LiBr to form active atomic Br, which act as reaction intermediates for C─H bond activation. Meanwhile, molten LiBr layer inhibits unselective CO₂ formation, leading to 42.5% butadiene yield. The redox catalyst design strategy can be extended to CL-ODH of other light alkanes such as iso-butane conversion to iso-butylene, providing a generalized approach for olefin production.

Sustainable and Highly Efficient Recycling of Plastic Waste into Syngas via a Chemical Looping Scheme

Converting plastic waste into valuable products (syngas) is a promising approach to achieve sustainable cities and communities. Here, we propose for the first time to convert plastic waste into syngas via the Fe₂AlO_x-based chemical looping technology in a two-zone reactor. The Fe₂AlO_x-based redox cycle was achieved with the pyrolysis of plastic waste in the upper zone, followed by the decomposition and thermal cracking of hydrocarbon vapors, and the oxidation and water splitting in the lower zone (850 °C) enabled a higher carbon conversion (81.03%) and syngas concentration (92.84%) when compared with the mixed feeding process. The iron species could provide lattice oxygen and meanwhile act as the catalyst for the deep decomposition of hydrocarbons into CO and the accumulation of deposited carbon in the reduction step. Meanwhile, the introduced water would be split by the reduced iron and deposited carbon to further produce H₂ and CO in the following oxidation step. A high hydrogen yield of 85.82 mmol/g HDPE with a molar ratio of H₂/CO of 2.03 was achieved from the deconstruction of plastic waste, which lasted for five cycles. This proof of concept demonstrated a sustainable and highly efficient pathway for the recycling of plastic waste into valuable chemicals.

The Sensitivity of Metal Oxide Electrocatalysis to Bulk Hydrogen Intercalation: Hydrogen Evolution on Tungsten Oxide

Metal oxides are attracting increased attention as electrocatalysts owing to their affordability, tunability, and reactivity. However, these materials can undergo significant chemical changes under reaction conditions, presenting challenges for characterization and optimization. Herein, we combine experimental and computational methods to demonstrate that bulk hydrogen intercalation governs the activity of tungsten trioxide (WO₃) toward the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). In contrast to the focus on surface processes in heterogeneous catalysis, we demonstrate that bulk oxide modification is responsible for experimental HER activity. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that intercalation enables the HER by altering the acid-base character of surface sites and preventing site blocking by hydration. First-principles microkinetic modeling supports that the experimental HER rates can only be explained by intercalated H_xWO₃, whereas nonintercalated WO₃ does not catalyze the HER. Overall, this work underscores the critical influence of hydrogen intercalation on aqueous cathodic electrocatalysis at metal oxides.

Thermodynamic evaluation on chemical looping conversion of Cd- and Zn-contained phytoremediation plant with different CaO pathways

With the development of phytoremediation for soil contamination, disposal of phytoremediation plant becomes a serious problem. Thermochemical conversion of phytoremediation plant can greatly reduce the volume and mass, meanwhile the clean and reusable utilization is realized. As one of the thermochemical conversion technologies, chemical looping (CL) offers a carbon negative way for clean utilization of biomass. In this technology, CaO has binary roles of heavy metal solidification and CO₂ sorption for gasification enhancement. To assess the CaO pathway in CL of phytoremediation plant, two different CL processes are constructed and comparatively studied based on thermodynamic evaluation. The effects of different operating parameters on the products of gasifier (GR) and reduction reactor (RR) are compared and discussed. Results demonstrated that the CaO addition in GR is beneficial to the production of pure combustible gases. Increasing RR temperature can promote the chemical looping reactions in RR. Under lower temperature, CaO in RR can consume more CO₂ leading to CO₂ free environment. When it is higher than 850 °C, there is no effect of CaO in RR. Increasing the amount of OC in system can enhance the conversion of combustible gases. When α_OC is higher than 0.3, the OC is reduced to a mixed state of Fe₃O₄ and FeO. When the CaO circulates only between GR and calciner, pure CO₂ can be captured at the outlet of calciner. Existence of CaO is beneficial to retain Cd and Zn in solid phases. When the gasification temperature increases from 500 °C to 800 °C, the Cd(g) increases while Cd decreases in both CL1 and CL2. For a long lifetime of OC, CaO is suggested to circulates between GR and calciner.

Partial Methane Oxidation in Fuel Cell-Type Reactors for Co-Generation of Energy and Chemicals: A Short Review

The conversion of methane into chemicals is of interest to achieve a decarbonized future. Fuel cells are electrochemical devices commonly used to obtain electrical energy but can be utilized either for chemicals’ production or both energy and chemicals cogeneration. In this work, the partial oxidation of methane in fuel cells for electricity generation and valuable chemicals production at the same time is reviewed. For this purpose, we compile different types of methane-fed fuel cells, both low- and high-temperature fuel cells. Despite the fact that few studies have been conducted on this subject, promising results are driving the development of fuel cells that use methane as a fuel source for the cogeneration of power and valuable chemicals.

Modification of Metal (Fe, Al) Doping on Reaction Properties of a NiO Oxygen Carrier with CO during Chemical Looping Combustion

Oxygen carriers can significantly enhance the performance of chemical looping combustion at low energy-cost CO₂ capture. Based on the density functional theory, a microscopic model of the metal Fe, Al-doped NiO oxygen carrier was established. The results indicate that the intermediate state energy and the reaction energy reduce due to electronic interaction of the Al-doped surface. With the progress of the reaction, the NiO-Al surface promotes the oxidation process of CO, indicating that the activity of the NiO surface enhanced, which is attributed to the electronic and steric effects of the Al-O structure. For the decomposition of CO on the OC surface, doping with other atoms is beneficial to suppress the carbon deposition, which is related to the steric hindrance caused by doping with other atoms. Besides, doping with iron and aluminum atoms is more conducive to the movement of OC bulk crystal lattice oxygen to the surface, thereby promoting subsequent reactions. Therefore, it is feasible to improve the reactivity of the Ni-based OC by doping metal Al, and its modification effect is closely related to the characteristics of the components.

Selective catalytic oxidation of ammonia to nitric oxide via chemical looping

Selective oxidation of ammonia to nitric oxide over platinum-group metal alloy gauzes is the crucial step for nitric acid production, a century-old yet greenhouse gas and capital intensive process. Therefore, developing alternative ammonia oxidation technologies with low environmental impacts and reduced catalyst cost are of significant importance. Herein, we propose and demonstrate a chemical looping ammonia oxidation catalyst and process to replace the costly noble metal catalysts and to reduce greenhouse gas emission. The proposed process exhibit near complete NH3 conversion and exceptional NO selectivity with negligible N2O production, using nonprecious V2O5 redox catalyst at 650 oC. Operando spectroscopy techniques and density functional theory calculations point towards a modified, temporally separated Mars-van Krevelen mechanism featuring a reversible V5+/V4+ redox cycle. The V = O sites are suggested to be the catalytically active center leading to the formation of the oxidation products. Meanwhile, both V = O and doubly coordinated oxygen participate in the hydrogen transfer process. The outstanding performance originates from the low activation energies for the successive hydrogen abstraction, facile NO formation as well as the easy regeneration of V = O species. Our results highlight a transformational process in extending the chemical looping strategy to producing base chemicals in a sustainable and cost-effective manner.

Near 100% ethene selectivity achieved by tailoring dual active sites to isolate dehydrogenation and oxidation

Prohibiting deep oxidation remains a challenging task in oxidative dehydrogenation of light alkane since the targeted alkene is more reactive than parent substrate. Here we tailor dual active sites to isolate dehydrogenation and oxidation instead of homogeneously active sites responsible for these two steps leading to consecutive oxidation of alkene. The introduction of HY zeolite with acid sites, three-dimensional pore structure and supercages gives rise to Ni²⁺ Lewis acid sites (LAS) and NiO nanoclusters confined in framework wherein catalytic dehydrogenation of ethane occurs on Ni²⁺ LAS resulting in the formation of ethene and hydrogen while NiO nanoclusters with decreased oxygen reactivity are responsible for selective oxidation of hydrogen rather than over-oxidizing ethene. Such tailored strategy achieves near 100% ethene selectivity and constitutes a promising basis for highly selective oxidation catalysis beyond oxidative dehydrogenation of light alkane.

It is important but challenging to prohibit deep oxidation of alkene in oxidative dehydrogenation of light alkane. Here, dual active sites are tailored to isolate dehydrogenation and oxidation thus achieving superior ethene selectivity.

Collaborative Equilibrium Coupling of Catalytic DNA Nanostructures Enables Programmable Detection of SARS-CoV-2

Accessible and adaptable nucleic acid diagnostics remains a critical challenge in managing the evolving COVID-19 pandemic. Here, an integrated molecular nanotechnology that enables direct and programmable detection of SARS-CoV-2 RNA targets in native patient specimens is reported. Termed synergistic coupling of responsive equilibrium in enzymatic network (SCREEN), the technology leverages tunable, catalytic molecular nanostructures to establish an interconnected, collaborative architecture. SCREEN mimics the extraordinary organization and functionality of cellular signaling cascades. Through programmable enzyme-DNA nanostructures, SCREEN activates upon interaction with different RNA targets to initiate multi-enzyme catalysis; through system-wide favorable equilibrium shifting, SCREEN directly transduces a single target binding into an amplified electrical signal. To establish collaborative equilibrium coupling in the architecture, a computational model that simulates all reactions to predict overall performance and optimize assay configuration is developed. The developed platform achieves direct and sensitive RNA detection (approaching single-copy detection), fast response (assay reaction is completed within 30 min at room temperature), and robust programmability (across different genetic loci of SARS-CoV-2). When clinically evaluated, the technology demonstrates robust and direct detection in clinical swab lysates to accurately diagnose COVID-19 patients.