Borocarbonitride Catalyzed Ethylbenzene Oxidative Dehydrogenation: Activity Enhancement via Encapsulation of Mn Clusters inside the Tube

Borocarbonitride (BCN) catalysts, boasting multiple redox sites, have shown considerable potential in alkane oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) to olefin molecules. However, their catalytic efficiency still lags behind that of leading commercial catalysts, primarily due to the limited reactivity of oxygen functional groups. In this study, a groundbreaking hybrid catalyst is developed, featuring BCN nanotubes (BCNNTs) encapsulated with manganese (Mn) clusters, crafted through a meticulous supramolecular self-assembly and postcalcination strategy. This novel catalyst demonstrates a remarkable enhancement in activity, achieving 30% conversion and ≈100% selectivity toward styrene in ethylbenzene ODH reactions. Notably, its performance surpasses both pure BCNNTs and those hosting Mn nanoparticles. Structural and kinetic analyses unveil a robust interaction between BCNNTs and the Mn component, substantially boosting the catalytic activity of BCNNTs. Furthermore, density functional theory (DFT) calculations elucidate that BCNNTs encapsulated with Mn clusters not only stabilize key intermediates (─B─O─O─B─) but also enhance the nucleophilicity of active sites through electron transfer from the Mn cluster to the BCNNTs. This electron transfer mechanism effectively lowers the energy barrier for ─C─H cleavage, resulting in a 13% improvement in catalytic activity compared to pure BCNNTs.

Investigation of AFeO3 (A=Ba, Sr) Perovskites for the Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Light Alkanes under Chemical Looping Conditions

Oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of light alkanes to produce C2 -C3 olefins is a promising alternative to conventional steam cracking. Perovskite oxides are emerging as efficient catalysts for this process due to their unique properties such as high oxygen storage capacity (OSC), reversible redox behavior, and tunability. Here, we explore AFeO3 (A=Ba, Sr) bulk perovskites for the ODH of ethane and propane under chemical looping conditions (CL-ODH). The higher OSC and oxygen mobility of SrFeO3 perovskite contributed to its higher activity but lower olefin selectivity than its Ba counterpart. However, SrFeO3 perovskite is superior in terms of cyclic stability over multiple redox cycles. Transformations of the perovskite to reduced phases including brownmillerite A2 Fe2 O5 were identified by X-ray diffraction (XRD) as a cause of performance degradation, which was fully reversible upon air regeneration. A pre-desorption step was utilized to selectively tune the amount of lattice oxygen as a function of temperature and dwell time to enhance olefin selectivity while suppressing CO2 formation from the deep oxidation of propane. Overall, SrFeO3 exhibits promising potential for the CL-ODH of light alkanes, and optimization through surface and structural modifications may further engineer well-regulated lattice oxygen for maximizing olefin yield.

Electrochemical Polarization of Disparate Catalytic Sites Drives Thermochemical Rate Enhancement

Supported bimetallic catalysts commonly exhibit higher rates of reaction compared to their monometallic counterparts, but the origin of these enhancements is often poorly defined. The recent discovery that cooperative redox enhancement effects in Au-Pd systems promote bimetallic catalysis in thermochemical oxidation is an important development in this field. This effect aligns two important research fields, thermo- and electrocatalysis, but questions relating to the generality and origin of the effect remain. Here, we demonstrate that these effects can be observed in reactions over a range of bimetal combinations and reveal the origin using a combination of electrochemical and material characterization. We disclose that the observed activity enhancement in thermochemical systems is a result of the electrochemical polarization of two disparate catalytic sites. This forms an alternative operating potential for a given bimetallic system that increases the driving force of each of the composite half reactions in oxidative dehydrogenation. We therefore uncover the physicochemical descriptors that dictate whether these enhancement effects will be exhibited by a particular combination of supported metal catalysts and determine the magnitude of the effect.

A metal-free carbon catalyst for oxidative dehydrogenation of aryl cyclohexenes to produce biaryl compounds

A metal-free route based on a carbon catalyst to synthesize biphenyls through oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of phenyl cyclohexene has been investigated. Among the samples examined, an air-oxidized active carbon exhibits the best activity with a 9.1 × 10-2 h-1 rate constant, yielding 74% biphenyl in 28 h at 140 °C under five bar O2 in anisole. The apparent activation energy is measured as 54.5 kJ⋅mol-1. The extended reaction scope, consisting of 15 differently substituted phenyl cyclohexenes, shows the wide applicability of the proposed method. The catalyst's good recyclability over six runs suggests this ODH method as a promising route to access the biaryl compounds. In addition, the reaction mechanism is investigated with a combination of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, functional group blocking, and model compounds of carbon catalysts and is proposed to be based on the redox cycle of the quinoidic groups on the carbon surface. Additional experiments prove that the addition of the catalytic amount of acid (methanesulfonic acid) accelerates the reaction. In addition, Hammett plot examination suggests the formation of a carbonium intermediate, and its possible structure is outlined.

Production of Acetaldehyde via Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Ethanol in a Chemical Looping Setup

A novel chemical looping (CL) process was demonstrated to produce acetaldehyde (AA) via oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of ethanol. Here, the ODH of ethanol takes place in the absence of a gaseous oxygen stream; instead, oxygen is supplied from a metal oxide, an active support for an ODH catalyst. The support material reduces as the reaction takes place and needs to be regenerated in air in a separate step, resulting in a CL process. Here, strontium ferrite perovskite (SrFeO_3-δ) was used as the active support, with both silver and copper as the ODH catalysts. The performance of Ag/SrFeO_3-δ and Cu/SrFeO_3-δ was investigated in a packed bed reactor, operated at temperatures from 200 to 270 ^°C and a gas hourly space velocity of 9600 h^-1. The CL capability to produce AA was then compared to the performance of bare SrFeO_3-δ (no catalysts) and materials comprising a catalyst on an inert support, Cu or Ag on Al₂O₃. The Ag/Al₂O₃ catalyst was completely inactive in the absence of air, confirming that oxygen supplied from the support is required to oxidize ethanol to AA and water, while Cu/Al₂O₃ gradually got covered in coke, indicating cracking of ethanol. The bare SrFeO_3-δ achieved a similar selectivity to AA as Ag/SrFeO_3-δ but at a greatly reduced activity. For the best performing catalyst, Ag/SrFeO_3-δ, the obtained selectivity to AA reached 92-98% at yields of up to 70%, comparable to the incumbent Veba-Chemie process for ethanol ODH, but at around 250 ^°C lower temperature. The CL-ODH setup was operated at high effective production times (i.e., the time spent producing AA to the time spent regenerating SrFeO_3-δ). In the investigated configuration with 2 g of the CLC catalyst and 200 mL/min feed flowrate ∼5.8 vol % ethanol, only three reactors would be required for the pseudo-continuous production of AA via CL-ODH.

Research Progress on Propylene Preparation by Propane Dehydrogenation

At present, the production of propylene falls short of the demand, and, as the global economy grows, the demand for propylene is anticipated to increase even further. As such, there is an urgent requirement to identify a novel method for producing propylene that is both practical and reliable. The primary approaches for preparing propylene are anaerobic and oxidative dehydrogenation, both of which present issues that are challenging to overcome. In contrast, chemical looping oxidative dehydrogenation circumvents the limitations of the aforementioned methods, and the performance of the oxygen carrier cycle in this method is superior and meets the criteria for industrialization. Consequently, there is considerable potential for the development of propylene production by means of chemical looping oxidative dehydrogenation. This paper provides a review of the catalysts and oxygen carriers employed in anaerobic dehydrogenation, oxidative dehydrogenation, and chemical looping oxidative dehydrogenation. Additionally, it outlines current directions and future opportunities for the advancement of oxygen carriers.

MXene Aerogel Derived Ultra-Active Vanadia Catalyst for Selective Conversion of Sustainable Alcohols to Base Chemicals

Selective oxidation reactions are an important class of the current chemical industry and will be highly important for future sustainable chemical production. Especially, the selective oxidation of primary alcohols is expected to be of high future interest, as alcohols can be obtained on technical scales from biomass fermentation. The oxidation of primary alcohols produces aldehydes, which are important intermediates. While selective methanol oxidation is industrially established, the commercial catalyst suffers from deactivation. Ethanol selective oxidation is not commercialized but would give access to sustainable acetaldehyde production when using renewable ethanol. In this work, it is shown that employing 2D MXenes as building blocks allows one to design a nanostructured oxide catalyst composed of mixed valence vanadium oxides, which outperforms on both reactions known materials by nearly an order of magnitude in activity, while showing high selectivity and stability. The study shows that the synthesis route employing 2D materials is key to obtain these attractive catalysts. V₄C₃T_x MXene structured as an aerogel precursor needs to be employed and mildly oxidized in an alcohol and oxygen atmosphere to result in the aspired nanostructured catalyst composed of mixed valence VO₂, V₆O₁₃, and V₃O₇. Very likely, the bulk stable reduced valence state of the material together coupled with the nanorod arrangement allows for unprecedented oxygen mobility as well as active sites and results in an ultra-active catalyst.

Insights into the Effect of Metal Ratio on Cooperative Redox Enhancement Effects over Au- and Pd-Mediated Alcohol Oxidation

The aerobic oxidation of alcohols and aldehydes over supported heterogeneous catalysts can be considered as comprising two complementary and linked processes: dehydrogenation and oxygen reduction. Significant rate enhancements can be observed when these processes are catalyzed by independent active sites, coupled by electron transport between the two catalysts. This effect, termed cooperative redox enhancement (CORE), could significantly influence how researchers approach catalyst design, but a greater understanding of the factors which influence it is required. Herein, we demonstrate that the Au/Pd ratio used in physical mixtures of monometallic catalysts and phase-separated Au and Pd bimetallic catalysts dramatically influences the degree to which CORE effects can promote alcohol oxidation. Perhaps more interestingly, the roles of Au and Pd in this coupled system are determined to be interchangeable. Preliminarily, we hypothesize that this is attributed to the relative rates of the coupled reactions and demonstrate how physical properties can influence this. This deeper understanding of the factors which influence CORE is an important development in bimetallic catalysis.

Correlation between the Properties of Surface Lattice Oxygen on NiO and Its Reactivity and Selectivity towards the Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane

Modified NiO catalysts with controllable vacancies and dopants are promising for alkene production from oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of light alkanes, and a molecular understanding of the modification on elementary reaction steps would facilitate the design of highly efficient catalysts and catalytic processes. In this study, density functional theory (DFT) calculations was used to map out the complete reaction pathways of propane ODH on the NiO (100) surfaces with different modifiers. The results demonstrated that the presence of vacancies (O and Ni) and dopants (Li and Al) alters the electrophilicity of surface oxygen species, which in turn affects the reactivity towards C-H bond activation and the overall catalytic activity and selectivity. The strongly electrophilic O favors a radical mechanism for the first C-H activation on O followed by the second C-H activation on O-O site, whereas weak electrophilic O favors concerted C-H bond breaking over Ni-O site. The C-H bond activation proceeds through a late transition state, characterized by the almost completion of the O-H bond formation. Consequently, the adsorption energy of H adatom on O rather than p-band center or Bader charge of O has been identified to be an accurate descriptor to predict the activation barrier for C-H breaking (activity) as well as the difference between the activation barriers of propene and CH₃ CCH₃ (selectivity) of ODH.

Microwave Heating of the Catalyst Bed as a Way of Energy-Saving Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Ethane on a Mo-V-Te-Nb-Ox Catalyst

In search of a more effective process of ethane oxidative hydrogenation, different operation modes (thermal and microwave heating) are compared. The catalyst Mo₁-V_0.3-Te_0.13-Nb_0.11-O_x was prepared by hydrothermal synthesis and characterized by a set of physicochemical methods (XRD, N₂ adsorption, SEM, EDX). The direct microwave heating of the catalyst layer is proposed as an alternative way of energy-saving ethane-to-ethylene oxidation by a Mo-V-Te-Nb-O_x system. A substantial decrease in the reactor temperature upon the microwave-assisted process is accompanied by extremely high catalyst selectivity, which remains at a very high level of 98+%.

Nitrogen-Doped Carbon as a Highly Active Metal-Free Catalyst for the Selective Oxidative Dehydrogenation of N-Heterocycles

N-heteroarenes represents one of the most important chemicals in pharmaceuticals and other bio-active molecules, which can be easily accessed from the oxidation of N-heterocycles over metal catalysts. Herein, the metal-free oxidative dehydrogenation of N-heterocycles into N-heteroarenes was developed using molecular oxygen as the terminal oxidant. The nitrogen-doped carbon materials were facilely prepared via the simple pyrolysis process using biomass (carboxymethyl cellulose sodium) and dicyandiamide as the carbon and nitrogen source, respectively, and they were discovered to be robust for the oxidative dehydrogenation of N-heterocycles into N-heteroarenes under mild conditions (80 °C under 1 bar O₂ ) with water as the green solvent. Diverse N-heterocycles including 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolines, indolines and 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoxalines were smoothly converted into N-heteroarenes with high to excellent yields (76->99 %). Superoxide radical (⋅O₂ ^- ) and hydroxyl radical (⋅OH) were probed as the reactive oxygen species for the oxidation of N-heterocycles into N-heteroarenes. More importantly, the nitrogen-doped carbon catalyst can be reused with a high stability. The method provides an environmentally friendly and economical route to access important N-hetero-aromatic commodities.

Boron nitride materials as emerging catalysts for oxidative dehydrogenation of light alkanes

Light olefins (C₂-C₄) play a crucial role as basic ingredients in chemical industry, and oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of light alkanes to olefins has been one of the popular routes since the shale gas revolution. ODH of light alkanes has advantages on energy-and-cost saving as compared with traditional direct dehydrogenation, but it is restricted by its overoxidation which results in the relatively low olefin selectivity. Boron nitride (BN), an interesting nanomaterial with an analogous structure to graphene, springs out and manifests the superior performance as advanced catalysts in ODH, greatly improving the olefin selectivity under high alkane conversion. In this review, we introduce BN nanomaterials in four dimensions together with typical methods of syntheses. Traditional catalysts for ODH are also referred as comparison on several indicators-olefin yields and preparation techniques, including the metal-based catalysts and the non-metal-based catalysts. We also surveyed the BN catalysts for ODH reaction in recent five years, focusing on the different dimensions of BN together with the synthetic routes accounting for the active sites and the catalytic ability. Finally, an outlook of the potential promotion on the design of BN-based catalysts and the possible routes for the exploration of BN-related catalytic mechanisms are proposed.

Multiple Promotional Effects of Vanadium Oxide on Boron Nitride for Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane

Featuring high olefin selectivity, hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) has emerged recently as an attractive catalyst for oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODHP). Herein, we report that dispersion of vanadium oxide onto BN facilitates the oxyfunctionalization of BN to generate more BO _x active sites to catalyze ODHP via the Eley-Rideal mechanism and concurrently produce nitric oxide to initiate additional gas-phase radical chemistry and to introduce redox VO _x sites to catalyze ODHP via the Mars-van Krevelen mechanism, all of which promote the catalytic performance of BN for ODHP. As a result, loading 0.5 wt % V onto BN has doubled the yield of light alkene (C₂-C₃) at 540-580 °C, and adding an appropriate concentration of NO in the reactants further enhances the catalytic performance. These results provide a potential strategy for developing efficient h-BN-based catalysts through coupling gas-phase and surface reactions for the ODHP process.

Modulation of ODH Propane Selectivity by Zeolite Support Desilication: Vanadium Species Anchored to Al-Rich Shell as Crucial Active Sites

The commercially available zeolite HY and its desilicated analogue were subjected to a classical wet impregnation procedure with NH₄VO₃ to produce catalysts differentiated in acidic and redox properties. Various spectroscopic techniques (in situ probe molecules adsorption and time-resolved propane transformation FT-IR studies, XAS, ⁵¹V MAS NMR, and 2D COS UV-vis) were employed to study speciation, local coordination, and reducibility of the vanadium species introduced into the hierarchical faujasite zeolite. The acid-based redox properties of V centres were linked to catalytic activity in the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane. The modification of zeolite via caustic treatment is an effective method of adjusting its basicity—a parameter that plays an important role in the ODH process. The developed mesopore surface ensured the attachment of vanadium species to silanol groups and formation of isolated (SiO)₂(HO)V=O and (SiO)₃V=O sites or polymeric, highly dispersed forms located in the zeolite micropores. The higher basicity of HY_deSi, due to the presence of the Al-rich shell, aided the activation of the C−H bond leading to a higher selectivity to propene. Its polymerisation and coke formation were inhibited by the lower acid strength of the protonic sites in desilicated zeolite. The Al-rich shell was also beneficial for anchoring V species and thus their reducibility. The operando UV-vis experiments revealed higher reactivity of the bridging oxygens V-O-V over the oxo-group V=O. The (SiO)₃V=O species were found to be ineffective in propane oxidation when temperature does not exceed 400 °C.

Redox Dynamics of Active VO x Sites Promoted by TiO x during Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Ethanol Detected by Operando Quick XAS

Titania-supported vanadia (VO _x /TiO₂) catalysts exhibit outstanding catalytic in a number of selective oxidation and reduction processes. In spite of numerous investigations, the nature of redox transformations of vanadium and titanium involved in various catalytic processes remains difficult to detect and correlate to the rate of products formation. In this work, we studied the redox dynamics of active sites in a bilayered 5% V₂O₅/15% TiO₂/SiO₂ catalyst (consisting of submonolayer VO _x species anchored onto a TiO _x monolayer, which in turn is supported on SiO₂) during the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethanol. The VO _x species in 5% V₂O₅/15% TiO₂/SiO₂ show high selectivity to acetaldehyde and an ca. 40 times higher acetaldehyde formation rate in comparison to VO _x species supported on SiO₂ with a similar density. Operando time-resolved V and Ti K-edge X-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy, coupled with a transient experimental strategy, quantitatively showed that the formation of acetaldehyde over 5% V₂O₅/15% TiO₂/SiO₂ is kinetically coupled to the formation of a V⁴⁺ intermediate, while the formation of V³⁺ is delayed and 10-70 times slower. The low-coordinated nature of various redox states of VO _x species (V⁵⁺, V⁴⁺, and V³⁺) in the 5% V₂O₅/15% TiO₂/SiO₂ catalyst is confirmed using the extensive database of V K-edge XANES spectra of standards and specially synthesized molecular crystals. Much weaker redox activity of the Ti⁴⁺/Ti³⁺ couple was also detected; however, it was found to not be kinetically coupled to the rate-determining step of ethanol oxidation. Thus, the promoter effect of TiO _x is rather complex. TiO _x species might be involved in a fast electron transport between VO _x species and might affect the electronic structure of VO _x , thereby promoting their reducibility. This study demonstrates the high potential of element-specific operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy for uncovering complex catalytic mechanisms involving the redox kinetics of various metal oxides.

CeO2-Promoted PtSn/SiO2 as a High-Performance Catalyst for the Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane with Carbon Dioxide

The oxidative dehydrogenation of propane with CO₂ (CO₂-ODP) has been extensively investigated as a promising green technology for the efficient production of propylene, but the lack of a high-performance catalyst is still one of the main challenges for its industrial application. In this work, an efficient catalyst for CO₂-ODP was developed by adding CeO₂ to PtSn/SiO₂ as a promoter via the simple impregnation method. Reaction results indicate that the addition of CeO₂ significantly improved the catalytic activity and propylene selectivity of the PtSn/SiO₂ catalyst, and the highest space-time yield of 1.75 g(C₃H₆)·g(catalyst)^-1·h^-1 was achieved over PtSn/SiO₂ with a Ce loading of 6 wt%. The correlation of the reaction results with the characterization data reveals that the introduction of CeO₂ into PtSn/SiO₂ not only improved the Pt dispersion but also regulated the interaction between Pt and Sn species. Thus, the essential reason for the promotional effect of CeO₂ on CO₂-ODP performance was rationally ascribed to the enhanced adsorption of propane and CO₂ originating from the rich oxygen defects of CeO₂. These important understandings are applicable in further screening of promoters for the development of a high-performance Pt-based catalyst for CO₂-ODP.

Visible Light-Induced Aerobic Oxidative Dehydrogenation of C-N/C-O to C=N/C=O Bonds Using Metal-Free Photocatalysts: Recent Developments

Performing synthetic transformation using visible light as energy source, in the presence of a photocatalyst as a promoter, is currently of high interest, and oxidation reactions carried out under these conditions using oxygen as the final oxidant are particularly convenient from an environmental point of view. This review summarizes the recent developments achieved in the oxidative dehydrogenation of C-N and C-O bonds, leading to C=N and C=O bonds, respectively, using air or pure oxygen as oxidant and metal-free homogeneous or recyclable heterogeneous photocatalysts under visible light irradiation.

Plasma Tuning Local Environment of Hexagonal Boron Nitride for Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) has lately received great attention in the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) reaction of propane to propylene for its extraordinary olefin selectivity in contrast to metal oxides. However, high crystallinity of commercial h-BN and elusive cognition of active sites hindered the enhancement of utilization efficiency. Herein, four kinds of plasmas (N₂ , O₂ , H₂ , Ar) were accordingly employed to regulate the local chemical environment of h-BN. N₂ -treated BN exhibited a remarkable activity, i.e., 26.0 % propane conversion with 89.4 % selectivity toward olefins at 520 °C. Spectroscopy demonstrated that "three-boron center" N-defects in the catalyst played a pivotal role in facilitating the conversion of propane. While the sintering effect of the "BO_x " species in O₂ -treated BN, led to the suppressed catalytic performance (12.4 % conversion at 520 °C).

Nanoscale Hybrid Amorphous/Graphitic Carbon as Key Towards Next-Generation Carbon-Based Oxidative Dehydrogenation Catalysts

A new strategy affords "non-nano" carbon materials as dehydrogenation catalysts that perform similarly to nanocarbons. Polymer-based carbon precursors that combine a soft-template approach with ion adsorption and catalytic graphitization are key to this synthesis strategy, thus offering control over macroscopic shape, texture, and crystallinity and resulting in a hybrid amorphous/graphitic carbon after pyrolysis. From this intermediate the active carbon catalyst is prepared by removing the amorphous parts of the hybrid carbon materials via selective oxidation. The oxidative dehydrogenation of ethanol was chosen as test reaction, which shows that fine-tuning the synthesis of the new carbon catalysts allows to obtain a catalytic material with an attractive high selectivity (82 %) similar to a carbon nanotube reference, while achieving 10 times higher space-time yields at 330 °C. This new class of carbon materials is accessible via a technically scalable, reproducible synthetic pathway and exhibits spherical particles with diameters around 100 μm, allowing unproblematic handling similar to classic non-nano catalysts.

Synthesizing High-Volume Chemicals from CO2 without Direct H2 Input

Decarbonizing the chemical industry will eventually entail using CO₂ as a feedstock for chemical synthesis. However, many chemical syntheses involve CO₂ reduction using inputs such as renewable hydrogen. In this review, chemical processes are discussed that use CO₂ as an oxidant for upgrading hydrocarbon feedstocks. The captured CO₂ is inherently reduced by the hydrocarbon co-reactants without consuming molecular hydrogen or renewable electricity. This CO₂ utilization approach can be potentially applied to synthesize eight emission-intensive molecules, including olefins and epoxides. Catalytic systems and reactor concepts are discussed that can overcome practical challenges, such as thermodynamic limitations, over-oxidation, coking, and heat management. Under the best-case scenario, these hydrogen-free CO₂ reduction processes have a combined CO₂ abatement potential of approximately 1 gigatons per year and avoid the consumption of 1.24 PWh renewable electricity, based on current market demand and supply.

Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane over Vanadium-Containing Faujasite Zeolite

Oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of light alkanes to olefins—in particular, using vanadium-based catalysts—is a promising alternative to the dehydrogenation process. Here, we investigate how the activity of the vanadium phase in ODH is related to its dispersion in porous matrices. An attempt was made to synthesize catalysts in which vanadium was deposited on a microporous faujasite zeolite (FAU) with the hierarchical (desilicated) FAU as supports. These yielded different catalysts with varying amounts and types of vanadium phase and the porosity of the support. The phase composition of the catalysts was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD); low temperature nitrogen sorption experiments resulted in their surface area and pore volumes, and reducibility was measured with a temperature-programmed reduction with a hydrogen (H₂-TPR) method. The character of vanadium was studied by UV-VIS spectroscopy. The obtained samples were subjected to catalytic tests in the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane in a fixed-bed gas flow reactor with a gas chromatograph to detect subtract and reaction products at a temperature range from 400–500 °C, with varying contact times. The sample containing 6 wt% of vanadium deposited on the desilicated FAU appeared the most active. The activity was ascribed to the presence of the dispersed vanadium ions in the tetragonal coordination environment and support mesoporosity.

B-MWW Zeolite: The Case Against Single-Site Catalysis

Boron-containing materials have recently been identified as highly selective catalysts for the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of alkanes to olefins. It has previously been demonstrated by several spectroscopic characterization techniques that the surface of these boron-containing ODH catalysts oxidize and hydrolyze under reaction conditions, forming an amorphous B₂ (OH)_x O_(3-x/2) (x=0-6) layer. Yet, the precise nature of the active site(s) remains elusive. In this Communication, we provide a detailed characterization of zeolite MCM-22 isomorphously substituted with boron (B-MWW). Using ¹¹ B solid-state NMR spectroscopy, we show that the majority of boron species in B-MWW exist as isolated BO₃ units, fully incorporated into the zeolite framework. However, this material shows no catalytic activity for ODH of propane to propene. The catalytic inactivity of B-MWW for ODH of propane falsifies the hypothesis that site-isolated BO₃ units are the active site in boron-based catalysts. This observation is at odds with other traditionally studied catalysts like vanadium-based catalysts and provides an important piece of the mechanistic puzzle.

Atomic Layer Deposition for Preparing Isolated Co Sites on SiO2 for Ethane Dehydrogenation Catalysis

Unlike Co clusters, isolated Co atoms have been shown to be selective for catalytic dehydrogenation of ethane to ethylene; however, preparation of isolated Co sites requires special preparation procedures. Here, we demonstrate that Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) of tris(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionato)cobalt(III) (Co(TMHD)₃) on silica and other supports is effective in producing these isolated species. Silica-supported catalysts prepared with one ALD cycle showed ethylene selectivities greater than 96% at 923 K and were stable when CO₂ was co-fed with the ethane. Co catalysts prepared by impregnation formed clusters that were significantly less active, selective, and stable. Rates and selectivities also decreased for catalysts with multiple ALD cycles. Isolated Co catalysts prepared on Al₂O₃ and MgAl₂O₄ showed reasonable selectivity for ethane dehydrogenation but were not as effective as their silica counterpart.

Understanding the Synthesis of Supported Vanadium Oxide Catalysts Using Chemical Grafting

The complexity of variables during incipient wetness impregnation synthesis of supported metal oxides precludes an in-depth understanding of the chemical reactions governing the formation of the dispersed oxide sites. This contribution describes the use of vapor phase deposition chemistry (also known as grafting) as a tool to systematically investigate the influence of isopropanol solvent on VO(Oⁱ Pr)₃ anchoring during synthesis of vanadium oxide on silica. The availability of anchoring sites on silica was found to depend not only on the pretreatment of the silica but also on the solvent present. H-bond donors can reduce the reactivity of isolated silanols whereas disruption of silanol nests by H-bond acceptors can turn unreactive H-bonded silanols into reactive anchoring sites. The model suggested here can inform improved syntheses with increased dispersion of metal oxides on silica.

Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Ethanol over Vanadium- and Molybdenum-modified Mg-Al Mixed Oxide Derived from Hydrotalcite

Hydrotalcite or Mg-Al LDHs were synthesized by co-precipitation method. The Mg-Al mixed oxide was then derived by calcination of hydrotalcite at 450°C. The metal modified catalysts (Mo/Mg-Al and V/Mg-Al) were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation method. The obtained catalysts were characterized by several useful techniques and tested the reactivity for dehydrogenation and oxidative dehydrogenation of ethanol (gas-phase) to produce acetaldehyde. The catalytic reactions were performed at temperature range from 200 to 400°C for both non-oxidative and oxidative atmospheres. The results showed that the vanadium-modified hydrotalcite (V/Mg-Al) exhibited the highest ethanol conversion (34.3%) and acetaldehyde yield (15.5%) at 400℃ in the non-oxidative atmosphere. For the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethanol, the V/Mg-Al catalyst showed the highest activity at 400°C giving the ethanol conversion and acetaldehyde yield of 73.7% and 29.5%, respectively. This result probably related to the highest base density of V/Mg-Al catalyst (6.13 µmol CO₂/m²) measured by CO₂-TPD. The catalytic activity of Mg-Al catalyst and metal modified catalyst slightly decreased upon time-on-stream test for 10 h on oxidative dehydrogenation of ethanol due to carbon deposition.

Structured Monolithic Catalysts vs. Fixed Bed for the Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane

The deposition of V-based catalysts for the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane to propene on cordierite honeycomb monoliths was optimised as a strategy to decrease the contact time in a structured reactor with respect to a conventional fixed bed one. 10 wt% VO_x supported over SiO₂ or Al₂O₃ were used as catalysts, deposed over the monolith using silica or alumina as primer, respectively. Both the alumina supported catalyst and the bohemite primer precursor were effectively deposed by dip-coating from stable powder suspensions, whereas insufficient adhesion was obtained when loading pre-synthesised SiO₂ over the cordierite. A new method based on sol-gel production of SiO₂ from tetraethylortosilicate (TEOS) over the monolith surface was set up. A correlation was derived for the prevision of the amount of silica deposed depending on the amount of TEOS. Both primer and catalyst loading were optimised as for uniformity and stability of the coating and resulted 0.5–1 wt % primer and 0.15 wt % of catalyst. Activity testing confirmed the strong improvement of propene productivity by increasing the time factor (i.e. Ncm³ of flowing reactant/min g_cat), which ended in a one order of magnitude increase of productivity for the honeycomb-supported samples with respect to the fixed bed configuration.

Effect of Calcination Temperature on Mg-Al Layered Double Hydroxides (LDH) as Promising Catalysts in Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Ethanol to Acetaldehyde

Oxidative dehydrogenation of ethanol to acetaldehyde over Mg-Al layered double hydroxides (LDH) and their differently calcined derivative catalysts was investigated in this study. The Mg-Al catalysts were synthesized via co-precipitation method and calcined at different temperatures at 450°C, 600°C and 900°C. It revealed that the calcination temperature affected the physicochemical properties and the catalytic activity of these catalysts toward the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethanol. It was found that ethanol conversion increased with increasing reaction temperature from 200 to 400°C, whereas acetaldehyde selectivity decreased. At low reaction temperature (200-300°C), the non-calcined catalyst (Mg-Al-000) showed the highest ethanol conversion, which can be attributed to the hydroxyl groups on surface having acetaldehyde as a major product. The calcination process led to formation of mixed oxide phase in Mg-Al catalysts as proven by the XRD and FT-IR results. The catalyst calcined at 450°C (Mg-Al-450) exhibited the highest basicity as measured by the CO₂-TPD with ethanol conversion of 45.8% and acetaldehyde yield of 29.7% at 350°C.

An Efficient Metal-Free Catalyst for Oxidative Dehydrogenation Reaction: Activated Carbon Decorated with Few-Layer Graphene

Activated carbon (AC) has been widely used in the catalysis field because of its low cost, scalable production, high specific surface area, and abundant exposed edge. Because of the amorphous structure, traditional AC is unstable in presence of O₂ at high temperature, which hinders the application of AC catalysts in oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of alkanes. Here, partially graphitic AC decorated with few-layer graphene is facilely fabricated by simple high-temperature calcination. The graphitic transformation significantly enhances the antioxidation property, long-term stability of AC during the ODH reaction, and especially dramatically increases the graphitic edge areas in which the active ketonic carbonyl groups are selectively formed in ODH reactions. A high reactivity with 41.5 % selectivity and 13.2 % yield to C₄ alkenes were obtained at 450 °C over the optimized catalyst, which is superior to all the previously reported carbon catalysts and shows a great potential for industrial application.

The Ti3 AlC2 MAX Phase as an Efficient Catalyst for Oxidative Dehydrogenation of n-Butane

Dehydrogenation or oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of alkanes to produce alkenes directly from natural gas/shale gas is gaining in importance. Ti3 AlC2 , a MAX phase, which hitherto had not been used in catalysis, efficiently catalyzes the ODH of n-butane to butenes and butadiene, which are important intermediates for the synthesis of polymers and other compounds. The catalyst, which combines both metallic and ceramic properties, is stable for at least 30 h on stream, even at low O2 :butane ratios, without suffering from coking. This material has neither lattice oxygens nor noble metals, yet a unique combination of numerous defects and a thin surface Ti1-y Aly O2-y/2 layer that is rich in oxygen vacancies makes it an active catalyst. Given the large number of compositions available, MAX phases may find applications in several heterogeneously catalyzed reactions.

Organo-Photoredox Catalyzed Oxidative Dehydrogenation of N-Heterocycles

We report here for the first time the catalytic oxidative dehydrogenation of N-heterocycles by a visible-light organo-photoredox catalyst with low catalyst loading (0.1-1 mol %). The reaction proceeds efficiently under base- and additive-free conditions with ambient air at room temperature. The utility of this benign approach is demonstrated by the synthesis of various pharmaceutically relevant N-heteroarenes such as quinoline, quinoxaline, quinazoline, acridine, and indole.

Oxidative dehydrogenation of C-C and C-N bonds: A convenient approach to access diverse (dihydro)heteroaromatic compounds

Nitrogen heteroarenes form an important class of compounds which can be found in natural products, synthetic drugs, building blocks etc. Among the diverse strategies that were developed for the synthesis of nitrogen heterocycles, oxidative dehydrogenation is extremely effective. This review discusses various oxidative dehydrogenation strategies of C-C and C-N bonds to generate nitrogen heteroarenes from their corresponding heterocyclic substrates. The strategies are categorized under stoichiometric and catalytic usage of reagents that facilitate such transformations. The application of these strategies in the synthesis of nitrogen heteroarene natural products and synthetic drug intermediates are also discussed. We hope this review will arouse sufficient interest among the scientific community to further advance the application of oxidative dehydrogenation in the synthesis of nitrogen heteroarenes.

Dispersed Vanadium in Three-Dimensional Dendritic Mesoporous Silica Nanospheres: Active and Stable Catalysts for the Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane in the Presence of CO2

The uniform monodispersed vanadium-doped three-dimensional dendritic mesoporous silica nanospheres (nV-MSNSs) were successfully synthesized in a heterogeneous oil-water biphase stratification reaction system and characterized by several state-of-the-art methods. The synthesized nV-MSNSs were applied to the oxidative dehydrogenation of the propane (ODHP) reaction with the presence of CO₂ and exhibited excellent catalytic performances. The results show that the vanadium loading (1.3-8.0 wt %) evidently influences the textural properties, oxidation state, and polymerization degree of vanadium species of nV-MSNSs. The specific surface area (S_BET), pore diameter (D_p), and pore volume (V_p) of nV-MSNSs decrease with the loading of vanadium species. The excessively high vanadium loading leads to the slight connection of nanospheres, but does not affect the assembly and growth of the three-dimensional (3D) dendritic channels. The percentage of highly dispersed vanadium V^V species gradually increases and attains the maximum value for 5.2V-MSNSs with the loading of vanadium and then decreases with further vanadium addition. The higher-polymerized VO_x species gradually generates above 5.2 wt % vanadium content for nV-MSNSs. The lower-polymerized VO_x species appear to be more active than the higher-polymerized VO_x species. Markedly, the 5.2V-MSNSs exhibit the highest catalytic activity with the initial propane conversion of 58% for the ODHP. The excellent catalytic performance can be maintained after eight reaction-regeneration cycles. The silica mesoporous frameworks can be well preserved in the reaction-regeneration cycles; meanwhile, the highly dispersed vanadium oxide also can be fully recovered after in situ regeneration. Hence, nV-MSNS catalysts exhibit outstanding activity and stability, and it would have a promising application in the DH of alkanes.

A Facile and Efficient Method to Fabricate Highly Selective Nanocarbon Catalysts for Oxidative Dehydrogenation

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were used in oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) reactions. Quinone groups on the CNT surface were identified as active sites for the dehydrogenation pathway. Liquid-phase oxidation with HNO₃ is one way to generate various oxygen functionalities on the CNT surface but it produces a large amount of acid waste, limiting its industrial application. Here, a facile and efficient oxidative method to prepare highly selective CNT catalysts for ODH of n-butane is reported. Magnesium nitrate salts as precursors were used to produce defect-rich CNTs through solid-phase oxidation. Skeleton defects induced on the CNT surface resulted in the selective formation of quinone groups active for the selective dehydrogenation. The as-prepared catalyst exhibited a considerable selectivity (58 %) to C₄ olefins, which is superior to that of CNTs oxidized with liquid HNO₃ . Through the introduction of MgO nanoparticles on the CNT surface, the desorption of alkenes can be accelerated dramatically, thus enhancing the selectivity. This study provides an attractive way to develop new nanocarbon catalysts.

Selective and Stable Ethylbenzene Dehydrogenation to Styrene over Nanodiamonds under Oxygen-lean Conditions

For the first time, significant improvement of the catalytic performance of nanodiamonds was achieved for the dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene to styrene under oxygen-lean conditions. We demonstrated that the combination of direct dehydrogenation and oxidative dehydrogenation indeed occurred on the nanodiamond surface throughout the reaction system. It was found that the active sp(2)-sp(3) hybridized nanostructure was well maintained after the long-term test and the active ketonic carbonyl groups could be generated in situ. A high reactivity with 40% ethylbenzene conversion and 92% styrene selectivity was obtained over the nanodiamond catalyst under oxygen-lean conditions even after a 240 h test, demonstrating the potential of this procedure for application as a promising industrial process for the ethylbenzene dehydrogenation to styrene without steam protection.

Green synthesis of Ni-Nb oxide catalysts for low-temperature oxidative dehydrogenation of ethane

The straightforward solid-state grinding of a mixture of Ni nitrate and Nb oxalate crystals led to, after mild calcination (T<400 °C), nanostructured Ni-Nb oxide composites. These new materials efficiently catalyzed the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of ethane to ethylene at a relatively low temperature (T<300 °C). These catalysts appear to be much more stable than the corresponding composites prepared by other chemical methods; more than 90 % of their original intrinsic activity was retained after 50 h with time on-stream. Furthermore, the stability was much less affected by the Nb content than in composites prepared by classical "wet" syntheses. These materials, obtained in a solvent-free way, are thus promising green and sustainable alternatives to the current Ni-Nb candidates for the low-temperature ODH of ethane.

Identifying active functionalities on few-layered graphene catalysts for oxidative dehydrogenation of isobutane

The general consensus in the studies of nanostructured carbon catalysts for oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of alkanes to olefins is that the oxygen functionalities generated during synthesis and reaction are responsible for the catalytic activity of these nanostructured carbons. Identification of the highly active oxygen functionalities would enable engineering of nanocarbons for ODH of alkanes. Few-layered graphenes were used as model catalysts in experiments to synthesize reduced graphene oxide samples with varying oxygen concentrations, to characterize oxygen functionalities, and to measure the activation energies for ODH of isobutane. Periodic density functional theory calculations were performed on graphene nanoribbon models with a variety of oxygen functionalities at the edges to calculate their thermal stability and to model reaction mechanisms for ODH of isobutane. Comparing measured and calculated thermal stability and activation energies leads to the conclusion that dicarbonyls at the zigzag edges and quinones at armchair edges are appropriately balanced for high activity, relative to other model functionalities considered herein. In the ODH of isobutane, both dehydrogenation and regeneration of catalytic sites are relevant at the dicarbonyls, whereas regeneration is facile compared with dehydrogenation at quinones. The catalytic mechanism involves weakly adsorbed isobutane reducing functional oxygen and leaving as isobutene, and O2 in the feed, weakly adsorbed on the hydrogenated functionality, reacting with that hydrogen and regenerating the catalytic sites.

Catalysts Transform While Molecules React: An Atomic-Scale View

We explore how the atomic-scale structural and chemical properties of an oxide-supported monolayer (ML) catalyst are related to catalytic behavior. This case study is for vanadium oxide deposited on a rutile α-TiO2(110) single-crystal surface by atomic layer deposition (ALD) undergoing a redox reaction cycle in the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of cyclohexane. For measurements that require a greater effective surface area, we include a comparative set of ALD-processed rutile powder samples. In situ single-crystal X-ray standing wave (XSW) analysis shows a reversible vanadium oxide structural change through the redox cycle. Ex situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) shows that V cations are 5+ in the oxidized state and primarily 4+ in the reduced state for both the (110) single-crystal surface and the multifaceted surfaces of the powder sample. In situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy, which could only achieve a measurable signal level from the powder sample, indicates that these structural and chemical state changes are associated with the change of the V═O vanadyl group. Catalytic tests on the powder-supported VOx revealed benzene as the major product. This study not only provides atomic-scale models for cyclohexane molecules interacting with V sites on the rutile surface but also demonstrates a general strategy for linking the processing, structure, properties, and performance of oxide-supported catalysts.