{"title":"Improved productivity in direct dimethyl ether synthesis and sorption enhanced DME synthesis using tungstosilicic acid as the acidic function","authors":"Cristina Peinado , Dalia Liuzzi , Jurriaan Boon , Sergio Rojas","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115319","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115319","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Renewable dimethyl ether (DME) can reduce the carbon footprint in LPG and transportation sectors. The direct synthesis of DME (DDMES) is attracting a great deal of attention because it is possible to increase the productivity of DME. However, DDMES is hindered by the formation of a high amount of water, which promotes the deactivation of both catalytic phases used in the DDMES, namely Cu/ZnO/Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> and γ-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>. This is particularly relevant when CO<sub>2</sub>-rich syngas is used, since it leads to a higher production of H<sub>2</sub>O. In this work we show that heteropolyacids such as HSiW are a suitable alternative to state-of-the-art γ-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> for the dehydration of methanol during the DDMES. This is because HSiW is not deactivated by the presence of water in the reaction medium. Thus, catalytic beds with HSiW reach up to four times higher DME productivity than those containing γ-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>. This feature is further exacerbated when water is removed from the reactor by means of a sorbent, i.e., during the sorption enhanced direct DME synthesis (SEDMES). Thus, the total carbon conversion is higher for SEDMES than for DDMES regardless of the actual nature of the acid catalyst.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"455 ","pages":"Article 115319"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143829756","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}
Catalysis TodayPub Date : 2025-04-11DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115322
Sabrina B. Karakache, Maroua Rouabah, Ryan Gosselin, Nicolas Abatzoglou, Inès E. Achouri
{"title":"Experimental study and statistical analysis of hydrogen yield in methane steam reforming over a hydroxyapatite-supported nickel catalyst","authors":"Sabrina B. Karakache, Maroua Rouabah, Ryan Gosselin, Nicolas Abatzoglou, Inès E. Achouri","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115322","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115322","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aimed to investigate the use of hydroxyapatite (HAp) as a catalyst support for the methane steam reforming (MSR) process. Catalysts were prepared via incipient wetness impregnation using nickel as the active metal and characterized by N<sub>2</sub> physisorption analysis, X-ray diffraction, H<sub>2</sub> temperature-programmed reduction, and transmission electron microscopy. The effects of four key parameters in hydrogen production—nickel loading (Ni wt%), inlet steam-to-methane (H<sub>2</sub>O/CH<sub>4</sub>) ratio, space velocity (SV), and temperature (T)—were evaluated via a statistical analysis. Thermodynamic calculations were also used to compare the catalyst activity results with the equilibrium conditions. The findings confirmed the effectiveness and stability of HAp as a support, exhibiting high thermal stability, coke resistance, and a mesoporous structure with an average specific surface area of 65 m<sup>2</sup>·g<sup>−1</sup>. The calcined Ni/HAp catalyst mainly comprised crystalline NiO and displayed a higher surface area of 54 m<sup>2</sup>·g<sup>−1</sup> and superior dispersion at loadings of 5 and 10 wt% Ni compared to 15 wt% Ni. The temperature, SV, and inlet reactant ratio significantly influenced the process. A long-term stability test carried out under optimal conditions over 98 h demonstrated the consistent activity and stability of the 10 wt%Ni/HAp catalyst, maintaining a high methane conversion of 99 % and yielding 90 % hydrogen, 80 % carbon monoxide, and 20 % carbon dioxide, with no observed carbon deposition on the catalyst surface.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"456 ","pages":"Article 115322"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143847579","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}
Catalysis TodayPub Date : 2025-04-11DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115337
Donato Pinto , Atsushi Urakawa
{"title":"Specific selectivity of simple oxides towards CH4 activation","authors":"Donato Pinto , Atsushi Urakawa","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115337","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115337","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Simple metal oxides exhibit noticeable catalytic activity in methane conversion reactions. However, their catalytic role in the selective activation of CH<sub>4</sub> to more valuable products (CO, H<sub>2</sub>, olefins) is often masked by the highly oxidative reaction conditions and by complex catalyst formulations. Transient studies of the direct interaction of CH<sub>4</sub> with simple catalytic systems, including rare-earth (La<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>, Nd<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>, Y<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>), alkali-earth (MgO) and reducible (TiO<sub>2</sub>), reveal peculiar selectivity for different monometallic oxides. Rare-earth metal oxides show high initial activity towards partial oxidation products (CO, H<sub>2</sub>), while MgO possesses unique selectivity towards coupling products (C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>6</sub> and C<sub>2</sub>H<sub>4</sub>) with remarkable activity in dehydrogenation reactions. A continuous supply of lattice oxygen species for the selective oxidation of CH<sub>4</sub> to CO is provided by TiO<sub>2</sub>, which can effectively prevent accumulation of C deposits. The results indicate the roles played by the metal oxide materials and provide a basis for rational design of catalysts and reaction conditions for the selective conversion of CH<sub>4</sub>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"455 ","pages":"Article 115337"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143838489","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}
Catalysis TodayPub Date : 2025-04-11DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115321
Zaheer Masood , Bin Wang
{"title":"Selective carboxylation of alkenes with CO2 to form unsaturated carboxylic acid on Sc-exchanged MFI zeolite","authors":"Zaheer Masood , Bin Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115321","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115321","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Utilization of CO<sub>2</sub> in chemical synthesis as C1 carbon feedstock to introduce a carboxylic group into alkene is valuable for producing unsaturated carboxylic acids. Selective carboxylation of alkenes at targeted positions can be used to regulate the production of such specific unsaturated carboxylic acids or functionalize hydrocarbon plastics that possess residual C<img>C double bonds. In this study, we investigated the carboxylation of 1-butene and 2-butene (as representative alkene) with CO<sub>2</sub> on Sc-exchanged MFI zeolites using density functional theory calculations. We find that similar to ethylene, the carboxylation of butene is also rate-limited by the β─H transfer. We examined carboxylation at the C1 and C2 positions of 1-butene and cis and trans isomers for 2-butene. Based on activation barriers of the β─H transfer, our results demonstrate that Sc-MFI zeolite preferably carboxylates at the terminal position of butene. In the case of 2-butene, carboxylation of the trans isomer is more favorable than the cis isomer. Furthermore, We show that the energy of degenerate orbitals of C, O and H atoms (involved in the β─H transfer) in the metallalactone ring regulates the activation energy of the β─H transfer.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"455 ","pages":"Article 115321"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143826213","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}
{"title":"Enhanced oxygen mobility in NiAg alloy catalysts for methane dry reforming: The role of AgO nanoparticles","authors":"Alberth Renne Gonzalez Caranton , Ananda Vallezi Paladino Lino , Calazans Macchiutti , Jilder Dandy Peña serna , Noemi Raquel Checca Huaman , Fernando stavale , Emilia Annese , José Mansur Assaf","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115316","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115316","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the effect of AgO nanoparticles on oxygen mobility and catalytic performance in NiAg bimetallic alloy catalysts during the dry reforming of methane (DMR). Using sol-gel synthesized NiAgMgAl hydrotalcite precursors, the resulting catalysts were evaluated at 800 °C and 1 atm. AgO species were found to prevent sintering and protect nickel active sites under high-temperature conditions. Characterization techniques such as Near Ambient Pressure X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (NAP-XPS) and Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy revealed distinct electrochemical properties related to oxygen vacancies, critical for methane and CO₂ activation. Diffuse Reflectance Infrared Fourier Transform Spectroscopy (DRIFTS) confirmed efficient CH₄ and CO₂ activation, showcasing silver’s role in improving catalytic turnover frequency and preventing coke formation. The findings demonstrate that the NiAg alloy’s oxygen vacancies and nanoconfinement effects significantly enhance DRM performance, offering a promising strategy for syngas production.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"455 ","pages":"Article 115316"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143824332","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}
Catalysis TodayPub Date : 2025-04-05DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115301
Tiancheng Pu , Adhika Setiawan , Srinivas Rangarajan , Israel E. Wachs
{"title":"Progress and perspective on the fundamental understanding of structure–activity/selectivity relationships for Ag catalyzed ethylene epoxidation","authors":"Tiancheng Pu , Adhika Setiawan , Srinivas Rangarajan , Israel E. Wachs","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115301","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115301","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ethylene oxide (EO) stands among the most pivotal gateway chemicals where Ag-catalyzed ethylene epoxidation is the only viable route in the chemical industry. Academically, it is also one of the most attractive model reactions that involves advancements of multiple disciplines in catalysis science. Over the past decades, a list of classic fundamental questions have emerged that sparked extensive debates regarding <em>i</em>) nature of selective oxygen species; <em>ii</em>) state of the silver surface layer under reaction condition, <em>iii</em>) detailed reaction mechanism of ethylene epoxidation, <em>etc</em>. In this contribution, we critically review what has been achieved to date on the understandings of the molecular structure – activity relationship for silver-catalyzed ethylene oxidation. We first highlight how cutting-edge <em>in situ</em>/<em>operando</em> spectroscopic characterization techniques played a unique role in deciphering the catalytic structure of the silver catalyst under working conditions. Next, we provide a strategic summary on the means of maneuvering the activity and EO selectivity over supported Ag/α-Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> catalysts, including particle size manipulation, crystal phase engineering, silver oxidation state and support management. The review ends with a perspective on the computational insights into the kinetics and mechanism of Ag-catalyzed ethylene epoxidation. We hope that the developments and methodologies highlighted in this review will not only help academia and industry to further the fundamental understanding and commercial development of silver-based catalysts for ethylene epoxidation, but also inspire revolutionary breakthroughs in other heterogeneous catalysis applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"455 ","pages":"Article 115301"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143824331","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}
Catalysis TodayPub Date : 2025-04-05DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115303
Suleiman Magaji , Zuhair Omar Malaibari , Mohammad M. Hossain , Galal Atef Nasser , Ziyauddin S. Qureshi , Shakeel Ahmed
{"title":"A sustainable synthesis of a monometallic vanadium-supported H-beta zeolite catalyst for CO2-assisted oxidative dehydrogenation of butane to olefins","authors":"Suleiman Magaji , Zuhair Omar Malaibari , Mohammad M. Hossain , Galal Atef Nasser , Ziyauddin S. Qureshi , Shakeel Ahmed","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115303","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115303","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Developing methods to utilize CO<sub>2</sub> emissions is crucial for long-term environmental sustainability, as underground storage will eventually become impractical. One promising approach is the development of active catalysts for the CO<sub>2</sub>-assisted oxidative dehydrogenation of butane (CO<sub>2</sub> ODHB) to olefins. This study presents the results of the performance of different vanadium loadings supported on H-beta Zeolite synthesized using the solvent-free approach for the CO<sub>2</sub> ODHB. The catalysts were synthesized and characterized regarding surface morphology, surface reducibility, acidity, and textural properties using XRD, SEM-EDX, H<sub>2</sub>-TPR, NH<sub>3</sub>-TPD, and BET analysis. The H<sub>2</sub>-TPR result showed that the 10 wt%V/H-beta zeolite displayed higher reducibility and stronger metal-support interaction. The BET surface area increases with the percentage of vanadium oxide, except for the 5 % vanadium oxide content. The NH<sub>3</sub> -TPD profile showed that as the loading of vanadium oxide increases on the surface of the zeolite support, the surface acidity of the catalyst increases from 2.5 wt%V/H-beta Zeolite to 10 wt%V/H-beta Zeolite and then drops at 15 wt%V/H-beta Zeolite. During a 10-hour time-on-stream test, the catalyst maintained stable butane conversion and C₄ olefin selectivity of approximately 31 % and 62 %, respectively, at 600 °C using a 10 wt%V/H-beta Zeolite catalyst. In-situ DRIFT measurements provided insights into the dynamic changes on the catalyst surface and the evolution of reaction intermediates during the CO<sub>2</sub>-assisted oxidative dehydrogenation of butane. The synthetic approach demonstrated a promising strategy for synthesizing an eco-friendly catalyst effective for CO<sub>2</sub>-assisted oxidative dehydrogenation of butane to olefins.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"455 ","pages":"Article 115303"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143807277","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}
Catalysis TodayPub Date : 2025-04-05DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115306
Ludmila P.C. Silva , Ana C.S.L.S. Coutinho , Maria V.M. Reis , Geronimo Perez , Liying Liu , Luís E. Terra , Fabio B. Passos
{"title":"An investigation of the impact of niobia loading on platinum catalysts for sour medium-temperature shift reaction","authors":"Ludmila P.C. Silva , Ana C.S.L.S. Coutinho , Maria V.M. Reis , Geronimo Perez , Liying Liu , Luís E. Terra , Fabio B. Passos","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115306","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115306","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing demand to reduce pollutant emissions, coupled with the declining availability of mineral resources, has heightened the need for technologies that maximize the use of existing resources. Waste gasification is an interesting way to meet this demand, as it enables the production of hydrogen. However, in this gasification process, in addition to hydrogen, carbon monoxide is generated in considerable concentrations, making it necessary to adjust the CO/H<sub>2</sub> ratio through the water-gas shift reaction. In addition the gasification of industrial and urban waste can contain significant concentrations of sulfur that act as a poison for traditional catalysts. As a result, there is an ongoing search for sulfur-tolerant catalysts that can prevent deactivation and eliminate the need for a desulfurization step. Building on the promising results of the Pt/Nb<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub> catalyst, new catalysts containing niobia were investigated to assess the impact of niobia loading in the support. In this series of catalysts, increasing the niobium content only leads to higher activity if it does not reduce the niobium surface coverage. Additionally, smaller platinum particle sizes are found to be more favorable for better performance in the water-gas shift reaction. However, the use of Al<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub>-Nb<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub> supports did not impart properties to the platinum catalysts comparable to those of the Pt/Nb<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub> catalyst. These catalysts exhibited lower catalytic activity and did not provide sulfur tolerance, regardless of the niobium content. The interaction between platinum and niobia may not have been strong enough to produce the same synergy observed in the Pt/Nb<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub> system.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"455 ","pages":"Article 115306"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143817683","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}
Catalysis TodayPub Date : 2025-04-04DOI: 10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115307
Vanesa A. Hahn, Alicia L. Garcia-Costa, Jose A. Casas
{"title":"Iron minerals as catalysts in photo-assisted NO3– reduction in aqueous phase","authors":"Vanesa A. Hahn, Alicia L. Garcia-Costa, Jose A. Casas","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115307","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115307","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Presence of nitrogenous compounds in drinking water cannot exceed 50 mg/L for NO<sub>3<sup>−</sup></sub>, 0.1 for NO<sub>2<sup>−</sup></sub>, and 0.5 mg/L for NH<sub>4<sup>+</sup></sub>. In order to address this issue, this study tackles the use of iron-rich minerals (hematite, ilmenite, goethite and magnetite) as catalysts in photo-assisted nitrate reduction employing oxalate as reducing agent. Firstly, the catalytic activity of the different minerals was tested at different pH levels, finding an outstanding performance of magnetite at pH<sub>0</sub> 5, with a 50 % NO<sub>3<sup>−</sup></sub> reduction in 60 min. After selecting magnetite as catalyst, a parametric study was performed evaluating initial pollutant concentration, catalyst load and reducing agent dosage. Best operating conditions were found to be [NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup>]: 75 mg/L, [Fe<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub>]: 100 mg/L, [C<sub>2</sub>O<sub>4</sub><sup>2−</sup>]: 370 mg/L and pH<sub>0</sub> 5, for which complete NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> reduction and selectivity towards N<sub>2(g)</sub> was reached after 150 min. Furthermore, magnetite maintained its activity in 5 consecutive cycles without any treatment between runs, showing its great stability. Reaction mechanism follows two pathways: i) direct electron transfer and ii) CO<sub>2</sub><sup>• −</sup> mediated reduction. This mechanism was validated using methyl viologen as CO<sub>2</sub><sup>• −</sup>scavenger showing that both pathways contribute equally in NO<sub>3</sub><sup>−</sup> reduction. Finally, process feasibility was tested employing real groundwater samples naturally containing NO<sub>3<sup>−</sup></sub>, showing promising results towards the implementation of photo-assisted catalytic reduction for drinking water treatment. Thus, a highly efficient technology has been developed, overcoming the limitations of photo-assisted nitrate removal processes by utilizing a cost-effective, stable, and highly active catalyst. This approach achieves the legislation for drinking water while generating negligible [NH<sub>4<sup>+</sup></sub>].</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"455 ","pages":"Article 115307"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143792329","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}
{"title":"Enhanced four-electron oxygen reduction reaction selectivity in atomically dispersed Fe-N-C catalysts via microwave heating","authors":"Takatoshi Murakami , Yusaku Yamazaki , Akihiro Okada , Shin R. Mukai , Isao Ogino","doi":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115304","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cattod.2025.115304","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Atomically dispersed supported iron (Fe-N-C) catalysts have emerged as the most promising alternatives to Pt-based catalysts for oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) in polymer electrolyte fuel cells (PEFCs). Advances in their synthesis over the past decade have significantly improved their activity, with some catalysts demonstrating high initial activities approaching those of commercial Pt-based catalysts. However, their practical application is hindered by durability challenge, which is facilitated by undesired formation of H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> via the 2e<sup>−</sup> ORR pathway. We report a strategy to improve the selectivity to the 4e<sup>−</sup> ORR pathway using microwave (MW) heating. This approach is demonstrated using Fe-N-C catalysts derived from ZIF-8. Brief heating of the Fe-N-C catalyst at 900 ºC for durations ranging from 1 s to 3 min in a single-mode microwave reactor improves its selectivity by suppressing H<sub>2</sub>O<sub>2</sub> formation to the lowest level reported so far, while maintaining catalytic activity in ORR experiments conducted in acidic electrolytes. Characterization data indicate that MW heating reduces N and O atoms while Fe content remained at approximately 1.3 wt% after heating for ≥ 1 s. These changes were accompanied by increased basicity of Fe-N-C catalyst beyond the level reported for Fe-N-C catalysts synthesized via pyrolysis at 1050 ºC under an Ar atmosphere. We propose that MW heating selectively removes metal-free N and O sites responsible for the 2e<sup>−</sup> ORR pathway, as well as possibly Fe sites weakly bonded to the carbon framework, while preserving Fe–N<sub><em>x</em></sub> sites held, thereby improving selectivity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":264,"journal":{"name":"Catalysis Today","volume":"455 ","pages":"Article 115304"},"PeriodicalIF":5.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143817632","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}