Dimethyl ether (DME) conversion into light olefins (DTO) is a process that can lead to the sustainable production of molecules like ethylene, propylene, and butenes, which are key building blocks in the chemical industry. Acid catalysts involved in the conversion of methanol and DME into hydrocarbons (MTO and DTO) are usually affected by fast deactivation due to coke generation. In the present study, four hierarchical zeolites were synthesized with different Si/Al ratios according to two procedures: a post-treatment (named “etching”) of a HZSM-5 microporous zeolite with a solution of ammonium fluoride and hydrofluoric acid, and a one-pot bottom-down approach involving an organosilane to induce mesoporosity during the hydrothermal synthesis. The samples were characterized from a physico-chemical standpoint to assess crystallinity, textural properties, and acidity. All the synthesized zeolites were then tested for about 14 h in the DTO process at a temperature range of 300–375 °C. Results showed that hierarchical zeolites with mild acidity have a very good stability, even when they are tested at the highest temperature, at which conventional microporous samples deactivate quickly. Conversion of 80–90 % is achieved at 375 °C and a space velocity of 1 gcat∙h∙molC−1, with propylene as the most abundant product. Samples prepared via one-pot synthesis resulted in a greater propylene-to-ethylene ratio, partly due to shape selectivity related to the pore size distribution.
{"title":"Hierarchical zeolites for dimethyl ether dehydration into light olefins","authors":"Fabio Salomone , Giorgia Ferrarelli , Emanuele Giglio , Elena Corrao , Massimo Migliori , Samir Bensaid , Raffaele Pirone , Girolamo Giordano","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115618","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115618","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dimethyl ether (DME) conversion into light olefins (DTO) is a process that can lead to the sustainable production of molecules like ethylene, propylene, and butenes, which are key building blocks in the chemical industry. Acid catalysts involved in the conversion of methanol and DME into hydrocarbons (MTO and DTO) are usually affected by fast deactivation due to coke generation. In the present study, four hierarchical zeolites were synthesized with different Si/Al ratios according to two procedures: a post-treatment (named “etching”) of a HZSM-5 microporous zeolite with a solution of ammonium fluoride and hydrofluoric acid, and a one-pot bottom-down approach involving an organosilane to induce mesoporosity during the hydrothermal synthesis. The samples were characterized from a physico-chemical standpoint to assess crystallinity, textural properties, and acidity. All the synthesized zeolites were then tested for about 14 h in the DTO process at a temperature range of 300–375 °C. Results showed that hierarchical zeolites with mild acidity have a very good stability, even when they are tested at the highest temperature, at which conventional microporous samples deactivate quickly. Conversion of 80–90 % is achieved at 375 °C and a space velocity of 1 g<sub>cat</sub>∙h∙mol<sub>C</sub><sup>−1</sup>, with propylene as the most abundant product. Samples prepared via one-pot synthesis resulted in a greater propylene-to-ethylene ratio, partly due to shape selectivity related to the pore size distribution.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 115618"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145413385","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-24DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115615
M. Pinzón , C. Martín , A. Romero , A. de Lucas-Consuegra , A.R. de la Osa , P. Sánchez
The development of cost-effective catalysts with excellent catalytic performance is of great interest for ammonia cracking. In this work, an innovative and stable cobalt catalyst supported on a commercial molybdenum carbide material was prepared. The influence of pre-activation treatment on the catalytic activity of a 5Co/Mo2C catalyst for ammonia decomposition was investigated using H2/Ar and NH3/Ar at 400 °C. Both activations resulted in a high ammonia conversion (∼ 90 %) at 500 °C. XPS analysis revealed that H2 pre-activation resulted in greater surface Co/Mo ratio and enhanced charge transfer, contributing to increase active cobalt and hence better catalytic activity. The effect of cobalt loading (2.5–10 wt%) was further optimized, with 7.5Co/Mo2C achieving the highest conversion (93.7 % at 450 °C), attributed to optimal Co dispersion and crystallite size (∼16.8 nm). The addition of a secondary metal (K, Cs or La) to the 7.5Co/Mo2C catalyst showed that lanthanum significantly improved the catalytic activity by increasing the basicity, cobalt dispersion, and surface Co/Mo ratio. In contrast, K and Cs had a negative effect, causing agglomeration and reduction of active sites by blocking. These findings indicate that H2 pre-activation and La promotion were key factors for enhancing ammonia decomposition efficiency on Co/Mo2C catalyst.
{"title":"Development of highly active Co/Mo2C catalysts for green H2 production from NH3","authors":"M. Pinzón , C. Martín , A. Romero , A. de Lucas-Consuegra , A.R. de la Osa , P. Sánchez","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115615","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115615","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The development of cost-effective catalysts with excellent catalytic performance is of great interest for ammonia cracking. In this work, an innovative and stable cobalt catalyst supported on a commercial molybdenum carbide material was prepared. The influence of pre-activation treatment on the catalytic activity of a 5Co/Mo<sub>2</sub>C catalyst for ammonia decomposition was investigated using H<sub>2</sub>/Ar and NH<sub>3</sub>/Ar at 400 °C. Both activations resulted in a high ammonia conversion (∼ 90 %) at 500 °C. XPS analysis revealed that H<sub>2</sub> pre-activation resulted in greater surface Co/Mo ratio and enhanced charge transfer, contributing to increase active cobalt and hence better catalytic activity. The effect of cobalt loading (2.5–10 wt%) was further optimized, with 7.5Co/Mo<sub>2</sub>C achieving the highest conversion (93.7 % at 450 °C), attributed to optimal Co dispersion and crystallite size (∼16.8 nm). The addition of a secondary metal (K, Cs or La) to the 7.5Co/Mo<sub>2</sub>C catalyst showed that lanthanum significantly improved the catalytic activity by increasing the basicity, cobalt dispersion, and surface Co/Mo ratio. In contrast, K and Cs had a negative effect, causing agglomeration and reduction of active sites by blocking. These findings indicate that H<sub>2</sub> pre-activation and La promotion were key factors for enhancing ammonia decomposition efficiency on Co/Mo<sub>2</sub>C catalyst.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 115615"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145359561","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-24DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115616
Deok Woo Kim, Na Yeon Kim, Dong Seop Choi, Jiyull Kim, Ji Bong Joo
Metal contaminant accumulation, particularly vanadium, in fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts significantly reduces their activity and efficiency. Washing and recycling processes are effective and economical methods for not only removal of metal contaminant but also catalyst regeneration. In this work, we investigated leaching behavior of vanadium species from a simulated spent FCC catalyst by varying leaching agents and compared both characteristics and cracking performances. A simulated spent catalyst was prepared by contaminating the synthesized zeolite-based catalysts with vanadium via wet impregnation under a high-temperature steam environment to mimic regenerator conditions. The resulting contaminated catalyst, VC-FCC, was leached with both acidic (HCl and AcOH) and alkaline (NaOH and NH3(aq)) solutions. It is investigated that the selective vanadium leaching, and facile catalyst regeneration can be suitable by alkaline solution based leaching method. The NH3 (aq) leached catalyst exhibited a conversion and gasoline yield up to 2.74 (87.1 %) and 1.37 (25.9 %) times higher, respectively, than other leached catalysts using leaching agents. Thus, NH3 (aq) leaching is an effective method for regenerating contaminated FCC catalysts, making it suitable for sustainable catalyst management in gasoline production.
{"title":"Selective leaching method for the regeneration of vanadium-contaminated FCC catalysts","authors":"Deok Woo Kim, Na Yeon Kim, Dong Seop Choi, Jiyull Kim, Ji Bong Joo","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115616","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115616","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Metal contaminant accumulation, particularly vanadium, in fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalysts significantly reduces their activity and efficiency. Washing and recycling processes are effective and economical methods for not only removal of metal contaminant but also catalyst regeneration. In this work, we investigated leaching behavior of vanadium species from a simulated spent FCC catalyst by varying leaching agents and compared both characteristics and cracking performances. A simulated spent catalyst was prepared by contaminating the synthesized zeolite-based catalysts with vanadium via wet impregnation under a high-temperature steam environment to mimic regenerator conditions. The resulting contaminated catalyst, VC-FCC, was leached with both acidic (HCl and AcOH) and alkaline (NaOH and NH<sub>3</sub>(aq)) solutions. It is investigated that the selective vanadium leaching, and facile catalyst regeneration can be suitable by alkaline solution based leaching method. The NH<sub>3</sub> (aq) leached catalyst exhibited a conversion and gasoline yield up to 2.74 (87.1 %) and 1.37 (25.9 %) times higher, respectively, than other leached catalysts using leaching agents. Thus, NH<sub>3</sub> (aq) leaching is an effective method for regenerating contaminated FCC catalysts, making it suitable for sustainable catalyst management in gasoline production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 115616"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145413389","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-20DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115612
Gyuho Han , Seongsu Choi , Hee Chan Song , Gyu Rac Lee , Jaebeom Han , Pyeonghwa Lee , Jaeho Kim , Han-Koo Lee , Si Woo Lee , Yeon Sik Jung , Jeong Young Park
The interface between metal and oxide plays a critical role in heterogeneous catalysis. In this study, we fabricated model inverse catalysts by transferring oxide nanowire assemblies of Co3O4, CeO2, and TiO2 onto Pt films to construct structurally well-defined oxide-metal interfaces. The deposited oxide nanowires retained their morphology without noticeable diffusion or sintering during annealing and carbon monoxide oxidation, as confirmed by near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure analysis. The surface electronic structure and morphology of the Pt film also remained largely unchanged, preserving the oxide-metal interfaces, which exhibited significant enhancements in turnover frequencies, depending on the oxide composition. These results highlight the utility of oxide nanowires in constructing thermally stable and composition-tunable oxide-metal interfaces for catalytic systems.
{"title":"Catalytic enhancement on nanowire-engineered thermally stable oxide-metal inverse catalysts","authors":"Gyuho Han , Seongsu Choi , Hee Chan Song , Gyu Rac Lee , Jaebeom Han , Pyeonghwa Lee , Jaeho Kim , Han-Koo Lee , Si Woo Lee , Yeon Sik Jung , Jeong Young Park","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115612","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115612","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The interface between metal and oxide plays a critical role in heterogeneous catalysis. In this study, we fabricated model inverse catalysts by transferring oxide nanowire assemblies of Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>, CeO<sub>2</sub>, and TiO<sub>2</sub> onto Pt films to construct structurally well-defined oxide-metal interfaces. The deposited oxide nanowires retained their morphology without noticeable diffusion or sintering during annealing and carbon monoxide oxidation, as confirmed by near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure analysis. The surface electronic structure and morphology of the Pt film also remained largely unchanged, preserving the oxide-metal interfaces, which exhibited significant enhancements in turnover frequencies, depending on the oxide composition. These results highlight the utility of oxide nanowires in constructing thermally stable and composition-tunable oxide-metal interfaces for catalytic systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 115612"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145359567","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-17DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115614
Baojian Chen , Caixia Zhu , Haozhe Feng , Teng Li , Zhihao Liu , Zhenzhou Zhang , Yingluo He , Noritatsu Tsubaki
CO2 hydrogenation to higher alcohols (C2+OH) over FeCu-based catalysts offers a promising route for carbon recycling. However, challenges such as low carbon utilization efficiency and limited product selectivity still exist due to the complexity of the reaction network and unclear formation mechanisms. Herein, a series of Mg-modified FeCu-based catalysts (2Na/Fe1Cu2Mgx) with varying Mg content were synthesized via co-precipitation method, and their catalytic performance of CO2 hydrogenation to C2+OH were investigated. The introduction of an appropriate amount of Mg significantly reduced the particle size of active metals and enhanced the metal-metal interaction between Cu and Fe species, thus further facilitated the formation of a highly dispersed Cu-χ-Fe5C2 interface structure. Multiple advanced characterizations have demonstrated that Cu-χ- Fe5C2 well-defined interface improved the adsorption capacities for both CO2 and CO, simultaneously promoting the synergistic coupling of CHₓ and CO intermediates for the highly selective formation of C2+OH products. The 2Na/Fe1Cu2Mg1 catalyst achieved a C2+OH selectivity of 25.4 % and a space-time yield (STY) of 75.1 mg·gcat-¹ ·h-¹ with CO2 conversion of 32.6 % under 320 °C, 5.0 MPa. Remarkably, the STY further rose to 110.1 mg·gcat-¹ ·h-¹ when the reaction temperature increased to 380 °C, with a CO2 conversion reaching 55.4 % and CO selectivity reduced to just 6.7 %. This study elucidates the pivotal role of Mg in modulating catalyst structure and constructing efficient active interfaces, providing a new theoretical foundation and design strategy for the rational development of highly selective catalysts for CO2 hydrogenation to higher alcohols.
{"title":"Enhancing higher alcohols selectivity in CO2 hydrogenation over FeCu catalysts via Mg modification","authors":"Baojian Chen , Caixia Zhu , Haozhe Feng , Teng Li , Zhihao Liu , Zhenzhou Zhang , Yingluo He , Noritatsu Tsubaki","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115614","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115614","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>CO<sub>2</sub> hydrogenation to higher alcohols (C<sub>2+</sub>OH) over FeCu-based catalysts offers a promising route for carbon recycling. However, challenges such as low carbon utilization efficiency and limited product selectivity still exist due to the complexity of the reaction network and unclear formation mechanisms. Herein, a series of Mg-modified FeCu-based catalysts (2Na/Fe<sub>1</sub>Cu<sub>2</sub>Mg<sub>x</sub>) with varying Mg content were synthesized via co-precipitation method, and their catalytic performance of CO<sub>2</sub> hydrogenation to C<sub>2+</sub>OH were investigated. The introduction of an appropriate amount of Mg significantly reduced the particle size of active metals and enhanced the metal-metal interaction between Cu and Fe species, thus further facilitated the formation of a highly dispersed Cu-χ-Fe<sub>5</sub>C<sub>2</sub> interface structure. Multiple advanced characterizations have demonstrated that Cu-χ- Fe<sub>5</sub>C<sub>2</sub> well-defined interface improved the adsorption capacities for both CO<sub>2</sub> and CO, simultaneously promoting the synergistic coupling of CHₓ and CO intermediates for the highly selective formation of C<sub>2+</sub>OH products. The 2Na/Fe<sub>1</sub>Cu<sub>2</sub>Mg<sub>1</sub> catalyst achieved a C<sub>2+</sub>OH selectivity of 25.4 % and a space-time yield (STY) of 75.1 mg·g<sub>cat</sub><sup>-</sup>¹ ·h<sup>-</sup>¹ with CO<sub>2</sub> conversion of 32.6 % under 320 °C, 5.0 MPa. Remarkably, the STY further rose to 110.1 mg·g<sub>cat</sub><sup>-</sup>¹ ·h<sup>-</sup>¹ when the reaction temperature increased to 380 °C, with a CO<sub>2</sub> conversion reaching 55.4 % and CO selectivity reduced to just 6.7 %. This study elucidates the pivotal role of Mg in modulating catalyst structure and constructing efficient active interfaces, providing a new theoretical foundation and design strategy for the rational development of highly selective catalysts for CO<sub>2</sub> hydrogenation to higher alcohols.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 115614"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145359566","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-17DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115613
Aida Younis , Fiza Akbar , Elodie Fourré , André Grishin , Catherine Batiot-Dupeyrat
The use of ammonia as a hydrogen carrier is a fast-growing research area due to ammonia’s high weight percentage of H2 (17.6 %) and its safer to handle features. Therefore, a higher demand for ammonia in energy applications is expected in the near future. Electric field-assisted ammonia synthesis is one way to meet the growing demand for ammonia, both for energy purposes and for industrial applications, mainly in fertilizer production. This study highlights the use of electric current for ammonia production by using NiO/La2O3 catalysts in a fixed-bed flow reactor. The operating conditions were maintained at a pressure of 5 bars and a current of 9 mA. The catalytic activity was analyzed in terms of ammonia concentration (ppm), synthesis rate (µmol.min−1.gcat−1) and energy efficiency EE (g-NH3 [kWh.gcat−1]−1). Good catalytic activity was obtained at 200 °C for the 10 wt% NiO/La2O3 catalyst, with and EE values reaching 5.7 µmol.min−1.gcat−1 and 4.5 g-NH3 [kWh.gcat−1]−1, respectively. Characterization of the catalysts by powder X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) revealed the formation of La(OH)3 from La2O3 in the presence of electric field, and an altered reaction mechanism was observed. The temperature-dependent study showed an increase in NH3 production at 150 °C and 200 °C with an apparent activation energy of 30 kJ.mol−1.
{"title":"Synthesis of ammonia under an electric field using lanthanum-based catalysts","authors":"Aida Younis , Fiza Akbar , Elodie Fourré , André Grishin , Catherine Batiot-Dupeyrat","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115613","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115613","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The use of ammonia as a hydrogen carrier is a fast-growing research area due to ammonia’s high weight percentage of H<sub>2</sub> (17.6 %) and its safer to handle features. Therefore, a higher demand for ammonia in energy applications is expected in the near future. Electric field-assisted ammonia synthesis is one way to meet the growing demand for ammonia, both for energy purposes and for industrial applications, mainly in fertilizer production. This study highlights the use of electric current for ammonia production by using NiO/La<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalysts in a fixed-bed flow reactor. The operating conditions were maintained at a pressure of 5 bars and a current of 9 mA. The catalytic activity was analyzed in terms of ammonia concentration (ppm), synthesis rate <span><math><msub><mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>NH</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>3</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></msub></math></span>(µmol.min<sup>−1</sup>.g<sub>cat</sub><sup>−1</sup>) and energy efficiency EE (g-NH<sub>3</sub> [kWh.g<sub>cat</sub><sup>−1</sup>]<sup>−1</sup>). Good catalytic activity was obtained at 200 °C for the 10 wt% NiO/La<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalyst, with<span><math><msub><mrow><mi>R</mi></mrow><mrow><msub><mrow><mi>NH</mi></mrow><mrow><mn>3</mn></mrow></msub></mrow></msub></math></span> and EE values reaching 5.7 µmol.min<sup>−1</sup>.g<sub>cat</sub><sup>−1</sup> and 4.5 g-NH<sub>3</sub> [kWh.g<sub>cat</sub><sup>−1</sup>]<sup>−1</sup>, respectively. Characterization of the catalysts by powder X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) revealed the formation of La(OH)<sub>3</sub> from La<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> in the presence of electric field, and an altered reaction mechanism was observed. The temperature-dependent study showed an increase in NH<sub>3</sub> production at 150 °C and 200 °C with an apparent activation energy of 30 kJ.mol<sup>−1</sup>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 115613"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145359565","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-16DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115609
Sol Ahn , Tobin J. Marks , Peter C. Stair
Three different precursors were used to synthesize isolated Ni sites as well as to stabilize them on an Al2O3 support for the dry reforming of methane (DRM) reaction. The precursors used are bis(cyclopentadienyl)nickel(II) (A cycle), trimethyl aluminum (B cycle), and water (C cycle). This so-called ABC-type atomic layer deposition (ALD) was performed for 15 cycles, and then overcoated with an Al2O3 layer via ALD to enhance the stability of the DRM catalyst. Pore morphologies were retained after this ABC-type ALD/calcination/additional Al2O3 ALD, confirming the thin film deposition occurs without compromising pore structure of the Al2O3 support. Calcination after 15 cycles of ABC-type ALD is required to recover the DRM activity as well as to improve the stability. Overcoating with 5 cycles of Al2O3 results in higher peak DRM activity versus the calcined catalyst, but that with 10 cycles does not. Additional Al2O3 overcoating changes the deactivation rate constants to a small extent, but results in induction periods indicating the presence of NiAl2O4. The catalyst with 5 cycles of Al2O3 overcoating shows a higher peak DRM rate than those with 0 and 10 cycles, and a lower deactivation rate constant. These results indicate that achieving an optimum number of ABC cycles may help resolve the trade-off between peak rate and deactivation behavior for Ni DRM catalysts.
{"title":"Synthesis of stable Ni catalysts for dry reforming of methane via ABC-type atomic layer deposition","authors":"Sol Ahn , Tobin J. Marks , Peter C. Stair","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115609","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115609","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Three different precursors were used to synthesize isolated Ni sites as well as to stabilize them on an Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> support for the dry reforming of methane (DRM) reaction. The precursors used are bis(cyclopentadienyl)nickel(II) (A cycle), trimethyl aluminum (B cycle), and water (C cycle). This so-called ABC-type atomic layer deposition (ALD) was performed for 15 cycles, and then overcoated with an Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> layer via ALD to enhance the stability of the DRM catalyst. Pore morphologies were retained after this ABC-type ALD/calcination/additional Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> ALD, confirming the thin film deposition occurs without compromising pore structure of the Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> support. Calcination after 15 cycles of ABC-type ALD is required to recover the DRM activity as well as to improve the stability. Overcoating with 5 cycles of Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> results in higher peak DRM activity versus the calcined catalyst, but that with 10 cycles does not. Additional Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> overcoating changes the deactivation rate constants to a small extent, but results in induction periods indicating the presence of NiAl<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub>. The catalyst with 5 cycles of Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> overcoating shows a higher peak DRM rate than those with 0 and 10 cycles, and a lower deactivation rate constant. These results indicate that achieving an optimum number of ABC cycles may help resolve the trade-off between peak rate and deactivation behavior for Ni DRM catalysts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 115609"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145322096","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-16DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115610
Alejandro Pérez , María Orfila , María Linares , Raúl Sanz , Javier Marugán , Raúl Molina , Juan A. Botas
The worrying energy and climate situations make it necessary to face a transition to a carbon-neutral economy. In this context, green hydrogen plays a crucial role in the future energy landscape. Besides other technologies, thermochemical water splitting represents a promising route for renewable hydrogen generation, using thermosolar energy as the primary energy source. In this study, different types of perovskites La0.8Me0.2NiO3±δ (Me = Al, Ba and Ca) were synthesised via reactive grinding. Their redox performance was evaluated under different thermal reduction temperatures (1200–800 °C), obtaining materials with hydrogen production values ranging from 4.51 to 5.31 cm³STP/gactive material·cycle when the reduction was performed at 800 °C, exceeding those already reported values for similar materials at higher temperatures. In order to obtain suitable configurations for their implementation in solar reactors, powdered perovskites were shaped into macrostructures such as pellets, reticulated porous ceramic (RPC) structures and thin films deposited over ceramic monoliths. Compared to powdered materials, the macrostructures exhibited higher hydrogen production attributed to enhanced gas-solid contact and more efficient heat transfer within the structures. The best performance was obtained by La0.8Ca0.2NiO3±δ supported as a thin layer over the ceramic monolithic structure, with productions up to 14.91–16.33 cm³STP/gactive material·cycle using thermal reduction temperatures of 800 and 1000 °C, respectively. These results confirm that shaping strategies enhance the already remarkable redox activity of perovskites and enable their integration into volumetric solar reactors. This represents a significant step forward in the development of scalable green hydrogen production systems based on renewable solar thermal energy.
{"title":"Macroscopic structures based on La0.8Me0.2NiO3±δ (Me = Al, Ba and Ca) perovskites for renewable hydrogen production through thermochemical water splitting","authors":"Alejandro Pérez , María Orfila , María Linares , Raúl Sanz , Javier Marugán , Raúl Molina , Juan A. Botas","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115610","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115610","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The worrying energy and climate situations make it necessary to face a transition to a carbon-neutral economy. In this context, green hydrogen plays a crucial role in the future energy landscape. Besides other technologies, thermochemical water splitting represents a promising route for renewable hydrogen generation, using thermosolar energy as the primary energy source. In this study, different types of perovskites La<sub>0.8</sub>Me<sub>0.2</sub>NiO<sub>3±δ</sub> (Me = Al, Ba and Ca) were synthesised via reactive grinding. Their redox performance was evaluated under different thermal reduction temperatures (1200–800 °C), obtaining materials with hydrogen production values ranging from 4.51 to 5.31 cm³STP/g<sub>active material</sub>·cycle when the reduction was performed at 800 °C, exceeding those already reported values for similar materials at higher temperatures. In order to obtain suitable configurations for their implementation in solar reactors, powdered perovskites were shaped into macrostructures such as pellets, reticulated porous ceramic (RPC) structures and thin films deposited over ceramic monoliths. Compared to powdered materials, the macrostructures exhibited higher hydrogen production attributed to enhanced gas-solid contact and more efficient heat transfer within the structures. The best performance was obtained by La<sub>0.8</sub>Ca<sub>0.2</sub>NiO<sub>3±δ</sub> supported as a thin layer over the ceramic monolithic structure, with productions up to 14.91–16.33 cm³STP/g<sub>active material</sub>·cycle using thermal reduction temperatures of 800 and 1000 °C, respectively. These results confirm that shaping strategies enhance the already remarkable redox activity of perovskites and enable their integration into volumetric solar reactors. This represents a significant step forward in the development of scalable green hydrogen production systems based on renewable solar thermal energy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 115610"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145359568","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-14DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115607
Hanna Jeon , Hyeonwoo Kim , Jonghun Lim , Hyeyoung Shin
Breaking the linear scaling relationship (LSR) between COOH and CO adsorption remains a key challenge in designing efficient electrocatalysts for the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). Here, density functional theory calculations show that doping p-block elements into the step sites of Au(332) selectively stabilizes the COOH intermediate, thereby breaking the intrinsic LSR. Among 20 screened p-block elements, Si emerges as the most promising dopant. It strongly stabilizes COOH and consequently shifts the rate-determining step, ultimately lowering the overpotential. Electronic structure analyses reveal that the localized pz orbital of Si engages in covalent interactions with the radical-like COOH, while interacting only weakly with the closed-shell CO. This orbital-specific decoupling enables independent tuning of intermediate adsorption energies. These findings establish p-block doping as a viable strategy to overcome the fundamental limitations of transition metal surfaces in CO2RR, and provide a rational design principle for next-generation catalytic materials.
{"title":"Breaking the linear scaling relationship in CO2 reduction by p-block doping at Au(332) surface","authors":"Hanna Jeon , Hyeonwoo Kim , Jonghun Lim , Hyeyoung Shin","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115607","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115607","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Breaking the linear scaling relationship (LSR) between COOH and CO adsorption remains a key challenge in designing efficient electrocatalysts for the CO<sub>2</sub> reduction reaction (CO<sub>2</sub>RR). Here, density functional theory calculations show that doping <em>p</em>-block elements into the step sites of Au(332) selectively stabilizes the COOH intermediate, thereby breaking the intrinsic LSR. Among 20 screened <em>p</em>-block elements, Si emerges as the most promising dopant. It strongly stabilizes COOH and consequently shifts the rate-determining step, ultimately lowering the overpotential. Electronic structure analyses reveal that the localized <em>p</em><sub><em>z</em></sub> orbital of Si engages in covalent interactions with the radical-like COOH, while interacting only weakly with the closed-shell CO. This orbital-specific decoupling enables independent tuning of intermediate adsorption energies. These findings establish <em>p</em>-block doping as a viable strategy to overcome the fundamental limitations of transition metal surfaces in CO<sub>2</sub>RR, and provide a rational design principle for next-generation catalytic materials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 115607"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145322095","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-10-14DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115608
Jisu Park , Jaeseok An , Sujin Kim, Yongju Yun
Enhancing the accuracy of predictive models for catalytic performance is critical for effectively leveraging accumulated data and optimizing catalysts and operating conditions. This study evaluates the potential of hierarchical regression models in predicting the hydrogen formation rate during ammonia decomposition at elevated reaction temperatures. Using a literature database, we trained sequential, random, and inverse hierarchical regression models, alongside non-hierarchical models, on data collected at lower temperatures. A comparison of predictive accuracies revealed that the sequential hierarchical models, organized by increasing temperature, provided the highest accuracy. This finding illustrates the model’s capability to capture the nonlinear relationship between reaction temperature and catalytic performance. In contrast, both random and inverse hierarchical models performed worse than non-hierarchical models, highlighting the importance of subset training order on hierarchical model performance. Examining the effects of subset configuration, hierarchy level, and algorithm type on the predictive accuracy of sequential hierarchical models for ammonia decomposition provides insight into the optimized design of these models. The successful application of hierarchical regression models in the prediction of catalytic performance demonstrates their advantages in capturing the complexity inherent in the heterogeneous catalysis database. Ultimately, the hierarchical model shows strong potential for robust and generalizable predictions under various reaction temperatures in ammonia decomposition, extending beyond the original training domain.
{"title":"Hierarchical regression approach for enhanced performance prediction of ammonia decomposition catalysts","authors":"Jisu Park , Jaeseok An , Sujin Kim, Yongju Yun","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115608","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115608","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Enhancing the accuracy of predictive models for catalytic performance is critical for effectively leveraging accumulated data and optimizing catalysts and operating conditions. This study evaluates the potential of hierarchical regression models in predicting the hydrogen formation rate during ammonia decomposition at elevated reaction temperatures. Using a literature database, we trained sequential, random, and inverse hierarchical regression models, alongside non-hierarchical models, on data collected at lower temperatures. A comparison of predictive accuracies revealed that the sequential hierarchical models, organized by increasing temperature, provided the highest accuracy. This finding illustrates the model’s capability to capture the nonlinear relationship between reaction temperature and catalytic performance. In contrast, both random and inverse hierarchical models performed worse than non-hierarchical models, highlighting the importance of subset training order on hierarchical model performance. Examining the effects of subset configuration, hierarchy level, and algorithm type on the predictive accuracy of sequential hierarchical models for ammonia decomposition provides insight into the optimized design of these models. The successful application of hierarchical regression models in the prediction of catalytic performance demonstrates their advantages in capturing the complexity inherent in the heterogeneous catalysis database. Ultimately, the hierarchical model shows strong potential for robust and generalizable predictions under various reaction temperatures in ammonia decomposition, extending beyond the original training domain.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"463 ","pages":"Article 115608"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145322097","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"化学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}