Editors: | Vayenas Intl. Symp. / Physical Chemistry and its applications for sustainable development Edited by: F. Kongoli, E. Aifantis, C. Cavalca, A. de Lucas Consuegra, A. Efstathiou, M. Fardis, D. Grigoriou, A. Lemonidou, S.G. Neophytides, Y. Roman, M. Stoukides, M. Sullivan, P. Vernoux, X. Verykios, I. Yentekakis |
Publisher: | Flogen Star OUTREACH |
Publication Year: | 2019 |
Pages: | 249 pages |
ISBN: | 978-1-989820-09-4 |
ISSN: | 2291-1227 (Metals and Materials Processing in a Clean Environment Series) |
Tungstated zirconia supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (WOx-ZrO2/MWCNT) has been characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS), NOx temperature programmed desorption (NOx-TPD) and probe reaction of cyclohexanol dehydration in liquid water. TEM and XRD establish that the ZrO2 grafted to MWCNT are tetragonal crystalline nanoparticles of about 2 nm [1]. XAS and thermal gravimetric analysis indicates that the tungstated zirconia nanoparticles are hydrothermally stable at 200°C and NOx-TPD [2] was used to measure the interaction of impregnated WOx with ZrO2/MWCNT; the WOx preferentially interacts with the surface of ZrO2 until about a monolayer (~4 W/nm2) of coverage is reached when a WO3 particulate phase develops. At a coverage of 8 W/nm2, WO3 can be detected by XRD. The turnover frequencies (TOF) normalized per W atom for cyclohexanol dehydration at 215°C at W surface densities of 2, 4 and 8 W/nm2 are 0.043, 0.029 and 0.027, respectively, compared to a commercial bulk WOx-ZrO2 with W surface density of 5 W/nm2, where it is 0.021. Thus, the TOF of the WOx-ZrO2/MWCNT at 2 W/nm2 is about twice that of unsupported WOx-ZrO2 and exceeds the bulk WOx-ZrO2 even when the W density is greater than that of unsupported WOx-ZrO2. Dividing the bulk 15.5 wt% WOx-ZrO2 TOF (based on acid site density) by the TOF (based on a W atom normalization) indicates that on average it requires 3.3 W atoms per acid site. Because the acid site is a hydronium ion in all cases [3], a better interpretation is that fewer W atoms per acid site are required on the low W density WOx-ZrO2/MWCNT. Thus we estimate that about 1.6 W atoms per acid site are required on the 2 W/nm2 WOx-ZrO2/MWCNT.