Bifunctional catalysts metal component

The metallic component of HCK catalysts provides hydrogenation, dehydrogenation, hydrogenolysis, and isomerization. The number and nature of reactive hydrogen species created by the interaction of a bifunctional catalyst with hydrogen is not well understood [103], on the other hand, neither the action of those species on the catalytic sites is understood. The main limitation in this understanding is the dynamic character of the interaction however, now that in situ characterization techniques are becoming available, research would soon defeat the limitations. 

Metal oxides possess multiple functional properties, such as acid-base, redox, electron transfer and transport, chemisorption by a and 71-bonding of hydrocarbons, O-insertion and H-abstract, etc. which make them very suitable in heterogeneous catalysis, particularly in allowing multistep transformations of hydrocarbons1-8 and other catalytic applications (NO, conversion, for example9,10). They are also widely used as supports for other active components (metal particles or other metal oxides), but it is known that they do not act often as a simple supports. Rather, they participate as co-catalysts in the reaction mechanism (in bifunctional catalysts, for example).11,12... 

As stated above, the aromatization of short alkanes is carried out in presence of bifunctional catalysts, in where the dehydrogenating function is given by the metal component (Ga, Zn, Pt) and the H-ZSM-5 zeolite carries the acid sites. Although there is still some uncertainty concerning the initial activation of the alkane, probably both the metal and the zeolite acid sites are involved in this step. Metal sites can dehydrogenate the alkane to give the corresponding alkene, which can then be protonated on the Bronsted acid sites of the H-ZSM-5 zeolite to produce the carbocation. 

The current theory of bifunctional catalysis assumes that paraffin isomerization is induced by olefin formation at the metal surface, followed by a typical acid-catalyzed reaction of the olefin at the active centers of the acidic component. Consequently, similar skeletal conversions must be found with olefins and an acid catalyst, and paraffins and a bifunctional catalyst. Our findings substantiate this theory. If these results (Figs. 2 and 3) are put together and compared to the predictions of the carbonium mechanism (Fig. 4), one can see that all the expected structures have been obtained in our experiments. 

Investigations of the isomerization of alkanes in recent years have provided evidence that the reaction can occur on certain metals, notably platinum, in the absence of a separate acidic component in the catalyst (20-22). While it has been shown that a purely metal-catalyzed isomerization process can occur, the findings do not challenge the commonly accepted mode of action of bifunctional reforming catalysts in which separate metal and acidic sites participate in the reaction. The available data at conditions commonly employed with commercial reforming catalysts indicate that a purely metal-catalyzed process does not contribute appreciably to the overall isomerization reaction on a bifunctional catalyst. 

However, there is also evidence that dehydrocyclization may proceed by another route involving only the metal component of the catalyst. It has been observed that unsupported platinum powders catalyze the dehydrocyclization of n-heptane (21). Also, Dautzenberg and Platteeuw (25) report that dehydrocyclization of n-hexane to benzene occurs over a catalyst in which platinum is supported on a nonacidic alumina. Since bifunctional catalysis with participation of acidic sites is then presumably eliminated, the activity is attributed to the platinum itself. 

Medium pore aluminophosphate based molecular sieves with the -11, -31 and -41 crystal structures are active and selective catalysts for 1-hexene isomerization, hexane dehydrocyclization and Cg aromatic reactions. With olefin feeds, they promote isomerization with little loss to competing hydride transfer and cracking reactions. With Cg aromatics, they effectively catalyze xylene isomerization and ethylbenzene disproportionation at very low xylene loss. As acid components in bifunctional catalysts, they are selective for paraffin and cycloparaffin isomerization with low cracking activity. In these reactions the medium pore aluminophosphate based sieves are generally less active but significantly more selective than the medium pore zeolites. Similarity with medium pore zeolites is displayed by an outstanding resistance to coke induced deactivation and by a variety of shape selective actions in catalysis. The excellent selectivities observed with medium pore aluminophosphate based sieves is attributed to a unique combination of mild acidity and shape selectivity. Selectivity is also enhanced by the presence of transition metal framework constituents such as cobalt and manganese which may exert a chemical influence on reaction intermediates. 

We are investigating bifunctional catalysts in which one component of the catalyst adsorbs or oxidizes CO and the other component dissociates water. Our present research is focusing on metal-support combinations to promote this bifunctional mechanism. The metallic component is chosen to adsorb CO at intermediate adsorption strengths (platinum [Pt], Ru, palladium [Pd], PtRu, PtCu, cobalt [Co], ruthenium [Ru], silver [Ag], iron [Fe], copper [Cu], and molybdenum [Mo]). The support is chosen to adsorb and dissociate water, typically a mixed-valence oxide with redox properties or oxygen... 

In recent years, a lot of research effort has been directed towards dehydroaromatisation of methane in which methane is converted to aromatic products such as benzene and naphthalene in addition to hydrogen. Perhaps the most well studied system has been that employing Mo/ZSM-5 based catalysts, where the bifunctional interaction between the zeolite Bronsted acidity and molybdenum species is well recognised. Under reaction conditions, the active molybdenum species are known to be in the form of carbides or oxycarbides, and recently it has been proposed that the a-MoCi-x phase is the most active form. Deactivation, primarily due to coke formation, is well precedented in this reaction and represents a major obstacle to be overcome in the successful application of these catalysts. In this respect, it is interesting to note that Ichikawa and co-workers have published studies indicating that the inclusion of low levels of CO or CO2 in the feed can promote the reaction via the suppression of coke formation in the case of both Mo/HZSM-5 and Re/HZSM-5 catalysts. Other approaches adopted towards this aim have been the inclusion of second metal components and a reduction of the acid strength of the HZSM-5 support. ... 

Mg-Al mixed oxides obtained by thermal decomposition of anionic clays of hydrotalcite structure, present acidic or basic surface properties depending on their chemical composition [1]. These materials contain the metal components in close interaction thereby promoting bifunctional reactions that are catalyzed by Bronsted base-Lewis acid pairs. Among others, hydrotalcite-derived mixed oxides promote aldol condensations [2], alkylations [3] and alcohol eliminations reactions [1]. In particular, we have reported that Mg-Al mixed oxides efficiently catalyze the gas-phase self-condensation of acetone to a,P-unsaturated ketones such as mesityl oxides and isophorone [4]. Unfortunately, in coupling reactions like aldol condensations, basic catalysts are often deactivated either by the presence of byproducts such as water in the gas phase or by coke build up through secondary side reactions. Deactivation has traditionally limited the potential of solid basic catalysts to replace environmentally problematic and corrosive liquid bases. However, few works in the literature deal with the deactivation of solid bases under reaction conditions. Studies relating the concerted and sequential pathways required in the deactivation mechanism with the acid-base properties of the catalyst surface are specially lacking. 

The bifunctional route can be valid even when the metallic component is substituted by another active component M02C (42), as revealed by the comparison of aromatic composition obtained on unsupported M02C (monofunctional) and M02C on AI2O3 or ZSM-5 (bifunctional catalysts). 

The mechanism of paraffin hydrocracking over bifunctional catalysts is, essentially, the carbenium ion chemistry of acid cracking coupled with metal-centered dehydrogenation/hydrogenation reactions. The presence of excess hydrogen and the hydrogenation component of the catalyst result in hydrogenated products and inhibition of some of the secondary reactions and coke formation. 

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