Effective reduction of nitric oxide over a core-shell Cu-SAPO-34@Fe-MOR zeolite catalyst

In this study, a core-shell catalyst of Cu-SAPO-34@Fe-MOR was successfully prepared through a silica-sol adhesion method, and its performance for selective catalytic reduction of nitric oxide by NH₃ (NH₃-SCR) was evaluated in detail. The Fe-MOR coating has not only increased the high-temperature activity and broadened the reaction temperature window of Cu-SAPO-34 to a large extent, but also increased the hydrothermal stability of Cu-SAPO-34 markedly. It is demonstrated that a strong synergistic interaction effect exists between Cu²⁺ and Fe³⁺ ions and promotes the redox cycle and oxidation-reduction ability of copper ions, which greatly accelerates the catalytic performance of the core-shell Cu-SAPO-34@Fe-MOR catalyst. Abundant isolated Cu²⁺ ions and Fe³⁺ ions on the ion exchange sites performing NO reduction at low and high temperature region lead to the broad reaction temperature window of Cu-SAPO-34@Fe-MOR. In addition, more weakly adsorbed NO species formed and the increased number of Lewis acid sites may also contribute to the higher catalytic performance of Cu-SAPO-34@Fe-MOR. On the other hand, the better hydrothermal ageing stability of Cu-SAPO-34@Fe-MOR is related to its lighter structural collapse, fewer acidic sites lost, more active components (Cu²⁺ and Fe³⁺) maintained, and more monodentate nitrate species formed in the core-shell catalyst after hydrothermal ageing. Last, the mechanism study has found that both Langmuir-Hinshelwood ("L-H") and Eley-Rideal ("E-R") mechanisms play an essential role in the catalytic process of Cu-SAPO-34@Fe-MOR, and constitute another reason for its higher activity compared with that of Cu-SAPO-34 (only "L-H" mechanism).