Submitted by Rosivalda Pereira (mrs.pereira@ufma.br) on 2017-06-02T19:29:10Z No. of bitstreams: 1 NeureneCruz.pdf: 2231126 bytes, checksum: fdfdea95589976509b1928b6fd504db5 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-06-02T19:29:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 NeureneCruz.pdf: 2231126 bytes, checksum: fdfdea95589976509b1928b6fd504db5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-07-15 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa e ao Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico do Maranhão (FAPEMA) / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPQ) / In this study, a catalyst based on alumina and calcium to transesterification reaction of lipid extracts of Chlorella sp biomass in situ was synthesized. The catalyst was characterized by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), XRay Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy Analysis (EDX) and, X-ray Fluorescence Spectroscopy (XRF). The in situ lipid extraction of Chlorella sp was carried on with the following solvents: methanol, hexane mixture of methanol and hexane in the ratio 2: 1. The extraction methods were performed in soxlhet, magnetic stirring, stirring in ultrasound and stirring with heating in Parr reactor. The transesterification reactions were performed in a Parr reactor, the reactions with lipid extract came from 11g extract, 4% of catalyst in relation to the mass of the extract, ratio alcohol / extract 15: 1 volume / mass at 150 ° C temperature for 180 minutes. The reactions of biomass in situ were made and evaluated by a 24 factorial design with central points, the variables were the time of 40-180 minutes 4-10% catalyst concentration, molar ratio alcohol: biomass 3: 1- 6: 1 and temperature between 60-150 ° C. The result was the ester content. The best conditions were: 150 ° C 180 minutes reason methanol: biomass 3: 1 v / m and catalyst concentration 4%. The factors that have significant influence on the conversion of esters were molar ratio and amount of catalyst. / Neste estudo, foi sintetizado um catalisador à base de alumina e cálcio e utilizado na reação de transesterificação de extratos lipídicos e na biomassa de Chlorella sp in situ. O catalisador foi caracterizado porEspectroscopia na região do Infravermelho com Transformada de Fourier (FTIR), Difração de Raios X (DRX), Microscopia Eletrônica de Varredura (MEV), Análise de Energia Dispersiva( EDS) e Espectrofotometria de Fluorescência de Raios X . Nas extrações lipídicas de Chlorella sp ultilizou-se os solventes: metanol, hexano e a mistura de metanol e hexano na proporção 2:1. Os métodos de extração foram através de soxlhet, agitação magnética, agitação em ultrasson e agitação com aquecimento em reator Parr. As reações de transesterificação foram feitas em um reator parr, sendo que nas reações com o extrato lipídico partiu-se de 11 g de extrato, 4% de catalisador em relação a massa do extrato, a razãoálcool/extrato 15:1volume/massana temperatura de 150ºC durante 180 minutos. As reações da biomassa in situ foram feitas e avaliadas por um planejamento fatorial 24 com pontos centrais, as variáveis foram o tempo de 40-180 minutos, concentração de catalisador de 4-10 %, razão álcool: biomassa 3:1- 6:1 e temperatura entre 60–150 ºC. A resposta foi o teor de ésteres. As melhores condições foram: 150ºC, 180 minutos, razão metanol: biomassa3:1 v/m e concentração do catalisador 4 %. Os fatores que tiveram influência significativa na conversão dos ésteres foram a razão e quantidade de catalisador.

Dans le contexte du réchauffement climatique et de l’usage abusif de combustibles fossiles, la recherche de sources d’énergie propres et durables est l’un des défis les plus importants de notre époque. Récemment, le stockage d’énergie solaire par la réduction de CO2 a fait l’objet d’un nouvel intérêt. Bien que la réduction de CO2 en carburants liquides ou gazeux soit une question à la fois fascinante et fondamentale, sa mise en œuvre dans les dispositifs technologiques reste très difficile à cause de la grande stabilité de CO2 et du caractère endergonique de sa transformation. On outre, les réactions impliquent multiples électrons et protons et ainsi demandent des catalyseurs efficaces et stables pour diminuer les barrières cinétiques importantes.Cette comprend deux parties. Après une introduction, la première partie décrit des études sur des catalyseurs homogènes en combinaison avec un photosensibilisateur, soit séparément soit connecté par liaison covalente. Grâce à la possibilité de les modifier par synthèse et à leur facile caractérisation, les photosystèmes moléculaires homogènes sont plus modulables et peuvent permettre un meilleur contrôle de la sélectivité des réactions et l’étude des mécanismes réactionnels.Cependant, les catalyseurs moléculaires ne peuvent être facilement transposés pour des applications à plus large échelle dans un contexte industriel. En effet, les catalyseurs homogènes sont moins stables et plus difficilement recyclables que les catalyseurs hétérogènes. Dans ce contexte, l’intégration de catalyseurs moléculaires au sein d’un support solide a l’avantage de maintenir leur activité catalytique tout en permettant une séparation et un recyclage plus faciles. La deuxième partie de cette thèse porte donc sur l’immobilisation de catalyseurs moléculaires dans les matériaux. Le but ultime de cette thèse est d’incorporer à la fois le catalyseur et le photosensibilisateur dans le support solide. / In the context of global warming and the necessary substitution of renewable energies (solar and wind energy) for fossil fuels, efficient energy-storage technologies need to be urgently developed. Recently, energy storage via the reduction of CO2 has seen renewed interest. Although reduction of CO2 into energy-dense liquid or gaseous fuels is a fascinating fundamental issue, its practical implementation in technological devices is highly challenging due to the high stability of CO2 and thus the endergonic nature of its transformation. Furthermore, the reactions involve multiple electrons and protons and thus require efficient catalysts to mediate these transformations.The objective of this thesis is to investigate different strategies for the storage of solar energy in chemical compounds, through visible-light-driven CO2 reduction. This thesis comprises of two main parts. After an introduction, the first part describes the investigation of homogeneous catalysts in combination with a photosensitizer, either separately or connected covalently. Due to the easily-tunable synthesis and facile characterization of molecular catalysts, homogeneous photosystems are more controllable and can give deep insight into product selectivity and mechanistic issues.With regards to future applicability, however, homogeneous catalysis often suffers from additional costs associated with solvents, product isolation and catalyst recovery, amongst other factors. The integration of molecular catalysts into solid platforms offers the possibility to maintain the advantageous properties of homogeneous catalysts while moving towards practical system designs afforded by heterogeneous catalysis. The second part of this thesis is therefore the immobilization of molecular catalysts within solid materials, namely MOFs and PMO. The ultimate goal of this thesis is to incorporate both catalyst and photosensitizer into the solid support.

Density functional theory (DFT) has become the most widely used first-principles computational method to simulate different atomic, molecular, and solid phase systems based on electron density assumptions. The complexity of describing a many-body system has been significantly reduced in DFT. However, it also brings in potential error when dealing with a system that involves the interactions between metallic and non-metallic species. DFT tends to overly-delocalize the electrons in metallic species and sometimes results in the overestimation of reaction energy, metallic properties in insulators, and predicts relative surface stabilities incorrectly in some instances. There are two approaches to overcoming the failure of DFT using standard exchange-correlation functionals: One can either use a higher level of theory (and thus incur a greater computational cost) or one can apply an efficient correction scheme. However, inaccurate corrections and improper calculation models can also lead to more errors. In the beginning of this dissertation, we introduce the correction methods we developed to accurately model the structure and electron density in material surfaces; then we apply the new methods in surface reactivity studies under experimental conditions to rationalize and solve real life problems. We first investigate the post-DFT correction method in predicting the chemisorption energy (Echem) of a NO molecule on transition metal surfaces. We show that DFT systematically enhances back-donation in NO/metal chemistorption from the metal d-band to NO 2π* orbital, and relate the back-donation charge transfer to the promotion of an electron from the 5σ orbital to the 2π* orbital in the gas-phase NO G2Σ-←X2Π excitation. We establish linear relationships between Echem and ΔEG←X and formulate an Echem correction scheme to the (111) surfaces of Pt, Pd, Rh and Ir. As a precursor to further optimization of DFT corrections on transition metal oxide surfaces, we systematically compare the alumina (α-Al2O3) and hematite (α-Fe2O3) (0001) surfaces to study how the atomic positions treatment during geometry optimizations would affect the electronic structure and modeled reactivity, since they are often reported to have a minimal effect. Our results suggest that both can vary significantly in quantitative and qualitative ways between partially constrained or fully relaxed slab models. We continue to use the α-Fe2O3 (0001) surfaces to optimize the Hubbard U method implemented in DFT that determines the Coulomb repulsion correction (Ud) to localize Fe d-electrons. It successfully restores the insulating properties of bulk hematite, but underestimates the stability of the oxygen-terminated surface. It is mainly due to the fact that all the chemically distinct surface Fe atoms were treated the same way. Here we develop a linear response technique to derive specific Ud values for all Fe atoms in several slab geometries. We also find that in a strongly correlated system, the O p-orbitals also need the Hubbard correction (Up) to accurately predict the structural and electronic properties of bulk hematite. Our results show that the site-specific Ud, combined with Up as Ud+p, is crucial in obtaining theoretical results for surface stability that are congruent with the experimental literature results of α-Fe2O3 (0001) surface structure. Besides methodology development, we continue to apply our specific Ud+p method in the engineered application of the Chemical Looping Combustion (CLC) process in which transition metal oxides play the role of oxidizing fuel molecules for full CO2 capture. Current molecular dynamic studies use partially constrained surface models to simulate the CH4 reaction on hematite surfaces without the detailed comparison of the early stage adsorption products. Here we use hematite (α-Fe2O3) and magnetite (Fe3O4) surfaces as analogous to systematically study the early adsorption products of CH4. Our results show that the reaction favors the homolytic pathway on O-terminated surface, and that as a reduced form of hematite, the magnetite surface also shows excellent reactivity on CH4 dissociation. Knowing how to simulate DFT surface model properly we continue to enrich our theoretical methods for more complicated systems under aqueous conditions. We focus on various structures of the lithium-ion battery material, LiCoO2 (LCO) (001) surface, involving hydroxyl groups. We assess the relative stabilities of different surface configurations using a thermodynamic framework, and a second approach using a surface-solvent ion exchange model. We find that for both models the –CoO–H1/2 surface is the most stable structure near the O-rich limit, which corresponds to ambient conditions. We also found that this surface has nonequivalent surface geometry with the stoichiometric –CoO–Li1/2 surface, leading to distinct band structures and surface charge distributions. We go on to probe how those differences affect the surface reactivity in phosphate anion adsorption. All of the work presented in this dissertation reveals the importance of accurately modeled material structures in theoretical studies to achieve correct physical properties and surface reactivity predictions. We hope our DFT correction schemes can continue to contribute to future surface studies and experimental measurements, and to enlighten new ideas in future DFT methodology improvements.

Ce projet est dédié à la recherche industrielle pour le développement de systèmes catalytiques innovants tels que le contrôle des émissions de véhicules. L'Europe connait actuellement une forte dépendance au niveau de l'importation de certains éléments utilisés comme support de catalyseur (oxyde de Cerium), nous souhaitons nous concentrer sur des éléments plus facilement disponibles tels que Ca, Fe, Mn, Sr, Cu... tout en essayant de garder le mécanisme catalytique bien connu de l'oxyde de cerium. Pour ce faire, nous avons sélectionné des conducteurs en oxygène de la famille des brownmillerites comme matériaux supports. Ceux ci présente des lacunes en oxygènes ayant un impact bénéfique sur leur activité catalytique pour les réactions d'oxydations. Il est aussi prévu de regarder les interactions entre métaux nobles et support conducteurs en oxygène pour une application de dépollution des gaz. Les réactions modèles étudiées au début de ce projet seront l'oxydation du CO ainsi que le stockage et la réduction des NOx. Les brownmillerites peuvent être vues comme des oxydes de type pérovskite avec un défaut en oxygène. Les brownmillerites ont une structure anisotropique avec un enchainement de lacines d'oxygènes-1D apportant une augmentation de l'activité catalytique. Ces browmillerites sont bien connues pour présenter une mobilité de l'oxygène à basse température. La présence de défauts tels que des liaisons anti-phase peut significativement diminuer la diffusion de l'oxygène. CaFeO2.5 riche en défauts, connu pour être une phase stœchiométrique peut être oxyder dans de "douces" conditions en CaFeO3 alors que l'oxydation d'un CaFeO2.5 ordinaire requiert des conditions extrêmes (1100°C et plusieurs GPa de pression en oxygène). Ainsi, introduire un nombre élevé de défauts dans la structure cristalline semble être une manière prometteuse de transformer des phases stoechiométriques en réservoir à oxygène. Les matériaux obtenus alors ayant des capacité de stockage et d'amélioration des réactions d'oxydations à température très modérée. Le mécanisme mis en jeu est comparable à celui de la capacité de stockage en oxygène des cérines dopées et offre donc un vrai potentiel catalytique. Au cours de ce projet CaFeO2.5 sera premièrement étudié mais nous étendrons l'étude avec des dopages (Cu, Mn, W) et une autre composition sera aussi étudiée : SrFeO2.5; Concernant le support nous souhaitons obtenir : -une grande dispersion du métal noble dans la matrice -une grande mobilité de l'oxygène à température modérée -une grande surface spécifique Obtenir ces trois caractéristiques simultanément est actuellement un challenge pour les brownmillérites. Pour ce faire nous souhaitons étudier différentes voies de synthèse. Une grande partie du projet sera dédiée aux caractérisations des matériaux avec des analyses structurales et spectroscopiques incluant de l'échange isotopique pour l'étude de la mobilité en oxygène. Ces études permettront une meilleure compréhension des propriétés des matériaux en relation avec leur activité catalytique. Les matériaux les plus prometteurs à l'issue de cette étude seront synthétisés à l'échelle du pilote par un processus d'électro-fusion. / The present project is dedicated to industrial research for the development of innovative catalytic systems for air purification, such as those used for the control of road vehicle emission (three way converter, TWC). In the context of Europe’s dependency on imports of some critical elements currently used as catalyst support (e.g. cerium oxide), we focus on more available elements such as Ca, Fe, Mn, Sr, Cu… by keeping the well-understood mechanisms governing the catalytic activity of cerium oxide in mind. As such, we choose oxygen ion conductors of the Brownmillerite family as support material, because it has been reported that lattice oxygen atoms have a beneficial impact on the catalytic activity of oxidation reactions. Next to the pure support material, also the interaction of a noble metal with the oxygen ion conductive support for the efficient removal of gas phase pollutants will be studied. In terms of catalytic reactions, the oxidation of CO, and the storage and reduction of NOx will be the primary metrics. In this project, oxygen ion conductors of the Brownmillerite family are chosen as support material. Brownmillerites can be regarded as oxygen-deficient perovskite type oxides. The Brownmillerite type structure is anisotropic with 1D-oxygen vacancy channels providing a catalytically enhanced surface/interface structure. Brownmillerites are known to reveal oxygen ion mobility down to ambient temperature. The presence of extended defects as anti-phase boundaries can significantly decrease the activation energy for oxygen diffusion. Defect-rich CaFeO2.5, which is traditionally known to be a stoichiometric line-phase, can be oxidized under mild conditions to CaFeO3, while the oxidation of ordinary CaFeO2.5 usually requires extreme reaction conditions, i.e. 1100°C and several GPa oxygen partial pressure. Thus, introducing a high concentration of defects seems to be a promising concept to transform even traditionally known stoichiometric line-phases to become a kind of oxygen sponge and behave as oxygen storage/buffer compound at very moderate temperatures. This mechanism is thus comparable to the oxygen storage capacity of doped cerium oxide, and offers a true potential for application in catalysis. Consequently, the Brownmillerite CaFeO2.5 will be a first candidate to study due to its known oxygen ion conductivity properties, however, also doping with other elements (e.g. Cu, Mn, W) and other compositions (e.g. SrFeO2.5) will be investigated. For the support material, we will attempt to achieve (i)- a high degree of dispersion of the noble metal into the matrix, (ii)- a high oxygen mobility at moderate temperatures (e.g. by introducing defects) and (iii)- a high surface area, which we anticipate to be key aspects for achieving high catalytic activity. To date, it is still a challenge to achieve these goals simultaneously for Brownmillerites. As a result, in this project, several synthesis routes are foreseen. More straightforward synthesis routes, such as citrate- EDTA gel methods and spray pyrolysis, will be investigated alongside with more advanced synthetic approaches such and hard-templating routes. This multitude of possibilities allows for an easy adaption of a synthesis route to the material under study. A major part of the project will be dedicated to the detailed characterization of the materials involving large scale facilities for structure analysis and spectroscopy (in-situ studies), including oxygen isotope exchange reactions to trace the oxygen ion mobility. These studies will allow for a detailed understanding of the materials properties in relation to its catalytic activity. The most promising materials will be synthesized on a pilot-scale using electrofusion. This technique is well-established by the industrial partner and is extremely suitable for the synthesis of reduced powders, such as CaFeO2.5.

Over the last decade, the domain of click chemistry has grown exponentially and has significantly impacted the fields of organic synthesis, medicinal chemistry, molecular biology, and materials science. The ideal model of a click reaction has become the copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC). Inherent limitations of CuAAC, including high temperatures, long reaction times, and difficult purifications, have been minimized by the development of nitrogen-based ligands. Herein, we present a novel application of 1,2,4-triazines by investigating their use as accelerants for CuAAC. A diverse library of 1,2,4-triazines were synthesized in order to examine the molecular determinants of their catalytic activity. These ligands were found to be potent accelerants, at catalytic concentrations, in the presence of both copper(I) and copper(II) salts. Remarkably, these catalyzed reactions proceeded at room temperature, generating high isolated yields, in both polar and nonpolar solvents. 5,6-Diphenyl-3-(pyridin-2-yl)1,2,4-triazine was the most active ligand studied, producing an 89% yield in a model click reaction within one hour. Additional experiments with an array of azides and alkynes yielded similar results, defining a broad substrate scope for 1,2,4-triazines as catalysts for click chemistry. Heterogeneous 1,2,4-triazines were designed using different solid supports and different sites of attachment with respect to the 1,2,4-triazine ligand. The primary advantages offered by these immobilized catalysts are the prevention of metal contamination in 1,2,3-triazole products and the recyclability of the catalyst. Results indicated that 1,2,4-triazine-functionalized silica was a more effective accelerant of CuAAC, whereas polystyrene-supported 1,2,4-triazines displayed modest activity. In coordination with copper(II), 1,2,4-triazines appended onto silica generated isolated yields greater than 90% after four consecutive reaction cycles with minimal copper leaching. Further research will utilize both homogeneous and heterogeneous 1,2,4-triazine-accelerated CuAAC in the derivatization of solid supports for energy-related chemical processes and in the synthesis of novel enzyme inhibitors.

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are a potential alternative to commonly used catalyst support structures in hydrotreating processes. Synthesis of MWCNTs with specific pore diameters can be achieved by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of a carbon source onto an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template. AAO films consist of pore channels in a uniform hexagonal arrangement that run parallel to the surface of the film. These films are created by the passivation of an aluminum anode within an electrolysis cell consisting of certain weak acid electrolytes. Changing the concentration of the electrolyte (oxalic acid) and the electrical potential of the electrolysis cell altered the pore channel diameter of these AAO films. Controlling the pore diameter of these templates enabled the pore diameter of MWCNTs synthesized by CVD to be controlled as well. The produced MWCNTs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Raman spectroscopy, and N2 adsorption analysis. Anodizing conditions of 0.40 M oxalic acid concentration and 40.0 V maximum anodizing potential were found to produce AAO films that resulted in MWCNTs with optimum surface characteristics for a catalyst support application. CVD parameter values of 650°C reaction temperature and 8.00 mL/(min·g) C2H2-to-AAO ratio were found to produce the highest yield of MWCNT product.<p> The MWCNTs were synthesized for the purpose of supporting hydroprocessing catalysts, with several grades of NiMo/MWCNT sulfide catalysts being prepared to determine the optimum pore size. These catalysts were characterized by techniques of TEM, CO chemisorption, N2 adsorption, and H2 temperature programmed reduction (TPR). A MWCNT grade with 67 nm inner diameters (found from TEM analysis) was found to offer the best hydrodesulfurization (HDS) and hydrodenitrogenation (HDN) activities for the treatment of coker light gas oil (CLGO). After determining the most suitable pore diameter, the optimum catalyst metal loadings were found to be 2.5 wt.% for Ni and 19.5 wt.% for Mo. The optimum catalyst was found to offer HDS conversions of 90.5%, 84.4%, and 73.5% with HDN conversions of 75.9%, 65.8%, and 55.3% for temperatures of 370°C, 350°C, and 330°C, respectively. An equal mass loading of commercial NiMo/ã-Al2O3 catalyst offered HDS conversions of 91.2%, 77.9%, and 58.5% with HDN conversions of 71.4%, 53.2%, and 31.3% for temperatures of 370°C, 350°C, and 330°C, respectively.<p> A kinetic study was performed on the optimum NiMo/MWCNT catalyst to help predict its HDS and HDN activities while varying the parameters of temperature, liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV), pressure, and gas-to-oil flow rate ratio. Rate expressions were then developed to predict the behavior of both the HDS and HDN reactions. Power law models were best fit with reaction orders of 2.6 and 1.2, and activation energies of 161 kJ/mol and 82.3 kJ/mol, for the HDS and HDN reactions, respectively. Generalized Langmuir-Hinshelwood models were found to have reaction orders of 3.0 and 1.5, and activation energies of 155 kJ/mol and 42.3 kJ/mol, for the HDS and HDN reactions, respectively.

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are crystalline hybrid materials with interesting chemical and physical properties. This thesis is focused on the synthesis and characterization of different MOFs and their use in heterogeneous catalysis. Zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIFs), including ZIF-4, ZIF -7 and ZIF -62, Ln(btc)(H2O) (Ln: Nd, Sm, Eu, Gd, Tb, Ho, Er and Yb), Ln2(bpydc)3(H2O)3, (Ln: Sm, Gd, Nd, Eu, Tb, Ho and Er), MOF-253-Ru and Zn(Co-salophen) MOFs were synthesized. Various characterization techniques were applied to study the properties of these MOFs. X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), single crystal X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) were extensively used. The effect of synthesis parameters, such as batch composition and temperature, on the formation and morphology of ZIF-7 and ZIF-62 was studied. Structural transformation and flexibility of two series of lanthanide-based MOFs, Ln(btc)(H2O) (Ln: Nd, Ho and Er) and Ln2(bpydc)3(H2O)3, (Ln: Sm and Gd) upon drying and heating were characterized. Relations between metal coordination, structure flexibility and thermal stability among the Sm2(bpydc)3(H2O)3, Nd(btc)(H2O) and MOF-253 were investigated. Salophen- and phenanthroline-based organic linkers were designed, synthesized and characterized. Metal complexes were coordinated to these linkers to be used as catalytic sites within the MOFs. Catalytic studies using two MOF materials, Ln(btc) and MOF-253-Ru, as heterogeneous catalysts in organic transformation reactions were performed. The heterogeneous nature and recyclability of these MOFs were investigated and described. / <p>At the time of doctoral defence the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper nr 4: Submitted; Paper nr 5: Submitted</p>

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) are a potential alternative to commonly used catalyst support structures in hydrotreating processes. Synthesis of MWCNTs with specific pore diameters can be achieved by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of a carbon source onto an anodic aluminum oxide (AAO) template. AAO films consist of pore channels in a uniform hexagonal arrangement that run parallel to the surface of the film. These films are created by the passivation of an aluminum anode within an electrolysis cell consisting of certain weak acid electrolytes. Changing the concentration of the electrolyte (oxalic acid) and the electrical potential of the electrolysis cell altered the pore channel diameter of these AAO films. Controlling the pore diameter of these templates enabled the pore diameter of MWCNTs synthesized by CVD to be controlled as well. The produced MWCNTs were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), Raman spectroscopy, and N2 adsorption analysis. Anodizing conditions of 0.40 M oxalic acid concentration and 40.0 V maximum anodizing potential were found to produce AAO films that resulted in MWCNTs with optimum surface characteristics for a catalyst support application. CVD parameter values of 650°C reaction temperature and 8.00 mL/(min·g) C2H2-to-AAO ratio were found to produce the highest yield of MWCNT product.<p> The MWCNTs were synthesized for the purpose of supporting hydroprocessing catalysts, with several grades of NiMo/MWCNT sulfide catalysts being prepared to determine the optimum pore size. These catalysts were characterized by techniques of TEM, CO chemisorption, N2 adsorption, and H2 temperature programmed reduction (TPR). A MWCNT grade with 67 nm inner diameters (found from TEM analysis) was found to offer the best hydrodesulfurization (HDS) and hydrodenitrogenation (HDN) activities for the treatment of coker light gas oil (CLGO). After determining the most suitable pore diameter, the optimum catalyst metal loadings were found to be 2.5 wt.% for Ni and 19.5 wt.% for Mo. The optimum catalyst was found to offer HDS conversions of 90.5%, 84.4%, and 73.5% with HDN conversions of 75.9%, 65.8%, and 55.3% for temperatures of 370°C, 350°C, and 330°C, respectively. An equal mass loading of commercial NiMo/ã-Al2O3 catalyst offered HDS conversions of 91.2%, 77.9%, and 58.5% with HDN conversions of 71.4%, 53.2%, and 31.3% for temperatures of 370°C, 350°C, and 330°C, respectively.<p> A kinetic study was performed on the optimum NiMo/MWCNT catalyst to help predict its HDS and HDN activities while varying the parameters of temperature, liquid hourly space velocity (LHSV), pressure, and gas-to-oil flow rate ratio. Rate expressions were then developed to predict the behavior of both the HDS and HDN reactions. Power law models were best fit with reaction orders of 2.6 and 1.2, and activation energies of 161 kJ/mol and 82.3 kJ/mol, for the HDS and HDN reactions, respectively. Generalized Langmuir-Hinshelwood models were found to have reaction orders of 3.0 and 1.5, and activation energies of 155 kJ/mol and 42.3 kJ/mol, for the HDS and HDN reactions, respectively.

Among the new hydrogen storage materials, ammonia borane (AB) appears to be the most promising one as it has high hydrogen content, high stability, and being environmentally benign. Dehydrogenation of AB can be achieved via hydrolysis, thermolysis or methanolysis. Methanolysis of AB eliminates some drawbacks of other dehydrogenation reactions of AB. The use of colloidal and supported particles as more active catalyst than their bulky counterparts for the hydrolysis of AB implies that reducing the particle size can cause an increase in the catalytic activity as the fraction of the surface atoms increases by decreasing the particle size. Similarly, transition metal nanoclusters can be utilized as catalyst for the methanolysis of AB as well. For this purpose transition metal nanoclusters need to be stabilized to a certain extent. Actually in the catalytic application of transition metal nanoclusters one of the most important problems is the aggregation of nanoclusters into bulk metal, despite of using the best stabilizers. In this regards, the use of metal nanoclusters as catalysts in systems with confined void spaces such as inside mesoporous and microporous solids appears to be an efficient way of preventing aggregation. In this dissertation we report for the first time the use of intrazeolite rhodium(0) nanoclusters as a catalyst in the methanolysis of ammonia borane. Rhodium(0) nanoclusters could be generated in zeolite-Y by a two-step procedure: (i) incorporation of rhodium(III) cations into the zeolite-Y by ion-exchange, (ii) reduction of rhodium(III) ions within the zeolite cages by sodium borohydride in aqueous solution, followed by filtration and dehydration by heating to 550 &deg / C under 10-4 Torr. Zeolite confined rhodium(0) nanoclusters are stable enough to be isolated as solid materials and characterized by ICP-OES, XRD, SEM, EDX, HRTEM, XPS and N2 adsorption-desorption technique. The zeolite confined rhodium(0) nanoclusters are isolable, bottleable, redispersible and reusable. They are active catalyst in the methanolysis of ammonia-borane even at low temperatures. They provide exceptional catalytic activity with an average value of TOF = 380 h-1 and unprecedented lifetime with 74300 turnovers in the methanolysis of ammonia-borane at 25 &plusmn / 0.1 &deg / C. The work reported here also includes the full experimental details of previously unavailable kinetic data to determine the rate law, and activation parameters (Ea, &amp / #916 / H&amp / #8800 / and &amp / #916 / S&amp / #8800 / ) for the catalytic methanolysis of ammonia-borane.

There are many problems associated with the use of fossil fuels to produce fuels and chemicals, and lignocellulosic biomass stands as a promising alternative fuel/chemical feedstock. Large scale processing of biomass will likely take place in high temperature liquid water due to the low vapor pressure and polar nature of carbohydrates. However, little is known about the material stability of these catalysts in high temperature aqueous phase environments. This dissertation aims to investigate the structural integrity of some common catalytic materials under typical biomass reforming conditions. There are 3 main objectives of this study: 1) identify potentially stable candidates from commonly used materials, 2) understand the mechanism(s) by which these catalysts degrade, 3) design/modify catalysts in an effort to increase their hydrothermal stability. The two main materials investigated in this work are zeolites (faujasite, ZSM-5) and γ-Al2O3 as these are commonly used as catalysts and catalyst supports. A number of physicochemical techniques were used to characterize the materials as a function of treatment time at conditions relevant for biomass reforming. For zeolites, the major findings are that ZSM-5 framework is highly stable whereas faujasite stability depends on the Si/Al ratio, where silicon rich materials are less stable. For γ-Al2O3 based catalysts, it was found that the alumina support hydrates and undergoes a phase transformation to form crystalline boehmite (AlOOH) with a subsequent loss in surface area and Lewis acid sites. When metal particles are present on the support, the phase change kinetics are slowed. The role of metal precursor on the stability of γ-Al2O3 supported catalysts was also explored, and it was found that the precursor used in catalyst synthesis changes the boehmite formation kinetics and also affects alumina support dissolution. The final thrust aims to stabilize a Pt/γ-Al2O3 catalyst by depositing silicon on the catalyst surface. The silicon modification is effective in protecting the catalyst from boehmite formation upon exposure to hot liquid water while also stabilizing metal particles against sintering. Additionally, an increase in turnover number for hydrogen production via aqueous phase reforming of sorbitol was observed.