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Stable Metal-Organic Framework-Supported Niobium Catalysts
Sol Ahn, Nicholas E Thornburg, Zhanyong Li
1X-ray Science Division, Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory , 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, Illinois 60439, United States.
Inorganic Chemistry
|November 1, 2016
Summary
We developed stable, well-defined niobium oxide (Nb(V)) catalysts by grafting them onto a metal-organic framework (MOF) support. These novel MOF-supported catalysts show high activity and selectivity for alkene epoxidation reactions.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Catalysis
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Developing structurally well-defined, supported oxide catalysts is challenging.
- Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) offer tunable structures for catalyst supports.
Purpose of the Study:
- To graft niobium oxide (Nb(V)) sites onto a zirconium-based MOF (NU-1000) support.
- To investigate the structural and catalytic properties of these novel MOF-supported catalysts.
Main Methods:
- Post-synthetic modification of NU-1000 MOF using atomic layer deposition and solution-phase grafting.
- Characterization using difference envelope density measurements.
- Activity and selectivity assessment via alkene epoxidation with H2O2.
- Active site quantification using phenylphosphonic acid titration.
Main Results:
- Successful grafting of Nb(V) oxide onto NU-1000 nodes with high loadings.
- Two synthetic methods yielded different local Nb(V) structures.
- Over 60% surface coverage resulted in nearly all Nb(V) sites being active.
- MOF-supported catalysts exhibited higher selectivity and gravimetric activity than Nb-ZrO2.
Conclusions:
- NU-1000 serves as a stable and well-defined support for Nb(V) oxide catalysts.
- Grafted Nb(V) sites on MOFs are highly active and selective for epoxidation.
- This approach offers a promising route for designing advanced supported oxide catalysts.
