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Reversible Restructuring of Silver Particles during Ethylene Epoxidation.
Arno J F van Hoof1, Ivo A W Filot1, Heiner Friedrich2
1Laboratory of Inorganic Materials Chemistry, Schuit Institute of Catalysis, Eindhoven University of Technology P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands.
Vinyl chloride (VC) promotion prevents silver catalyst restructuring and void formation during ethylene epoxidation. VC also rapidly redisperses enlarged silver particles, optimizing catalyst performance.
Area of Science:
- Catalysis
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Ethylene epoxidation is a key industrial process.
- Silver catalysts are crucial but prone to restructuring.
- Understanding catalyst dynamics is vital for process optimization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate silver catalyst restructuring during ethylene epoxidation.
- To evaluate the effect of vinyl chloride (VC) promotion.
- To elucidate the mechanism of void formation and VC's role.
Main Methods:
- Ethylene epoxidation experiments under industrially relevant conditions.
- Analysis of catalyst structure with and without VC promotion.
- Utilizing electron tomography to visualize internal voids.
Main Results:
- Without VC, silver particles grow and form voids at the surface and bulk.
- Oxygen adsorption on silver induces lattice reconstruction and pore formation.
- VC promotion significantly suppresses void formation.
- VC rapidly redisperses enlarged silver particles (172 nm to 136 nm in 2h).
Conclusions:
- Silver catalyst restructuring, including void formation, is dynamic during ethylene epoxidation.
- Vinyl chloride acts as a crucial promoter, mitigating detrimental restructuring.
- Catalyst particle size and morphology are highly sensitive to reaction conditions and promoters.
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