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Research on Heterogeneous Catalysis—2nd Edition

A special issue of Molecules (ISSN 1420-3049). This special issue belongs to the section "Applied Chemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 September 2024 | Viewed by 1895

Special Issue Editors

Institute of Sustainability for Chemicals, Energy and Environment (ISCE2), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 1 Pesek Rd, Singapore 627833, Singapore
Interests: heterogeneous catalysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

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Guest Editor
College of Pharmacy, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau 999078, China
Interests: boron chemistry and application; catalytic and pharmaceutical applications of nano-materials
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Heterogeneous catalysis encompasses a broad range of catalyzing solids and highly relevant industrial processes for the production of materials, fine chemicals, and fuels. Subjects of academic and industrial research in this field span from the atomic to the macroscopic scale, from fast bond-making/breaking processes to slow catalyst deactivation timescales. The majority of catalytic studies break down to one central theme of surface science that ultimately determines the performance of a catalyzing material—that is, catalytic active sites and their chemical nature, number, distribution, and accessibility. Nevertheless, catalyzing solids possess a 3D structure that is rarely uniform and often imposes difficulties in determining catalytic active sites and their change concerning underlying catalytic mechanisms. The complexity of catalyst particles can range from well-defined supported metal nanoparticles to millimeter-sized, multicomponent catalyst bodies with a multitude of often very distinct functionalities. Importantly, the relationship between surface structure, composition, and catalytic properties needs to be established under operating conditions. Reaction conditions in catalytic reactors vary from the gas to the liquid phase, and from low to high pressures as well as temperatures. As such, to completely understand the heterogeneous and dynamic nature of a catalyzing solid, informative single-point spectroscopic measurements should be conducted using microscopic methods. The complex multidisciplinary scope of heterogeneous catalysis requires a plethora of characterization approaches that are capable of studying various aspects of surface science.

While the research on heterogeneous catalysis is full of challenges, advances have been made in this field. This Special Issue is devoted to new developments of heterogeneous catalysis with a broad scope. We expect to collect original research articles about this topic, with the aid of Molecules as an excellent platform.

Dr. Lin Huang
Dr. Yinghuai Zhu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Molecules is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • heterogeneous
  • catalysis
  • catalyst
  • surface
  • reaction

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

23 pages, 4888 KiB  
Article
Thermal Surface Properties, London Dispersive and Polar Surface Energy of Graphene and Carbon Materials Using Inverse Gas Chromatography at Infinite Dilution
by Tayssir Hamieh
Molecules 2024, 29(12), 2871; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules29122871 - 17 Jun 2024
Viewed by 744
Abstract
The thermal surface properties of graphenes and carbon materials are of crucial importance in the chemistry of materials, chemical engineering, and many industrial processes. Background: The determination of these surface properties is carried out using inverse gas chromatography at infinite dilution, which leads [...] Read more.
The thermal surface properties of graphenes and carbon materials are of crucial importance in the chemistry of materials, chemical engineering, and many industrial processes. Background: The determination of these surface properties is carried out using inverse gas chromatography at infinite dilution, which leads to the retention volume of organic solvents adsorbed on solid surfaces. This experimental and fundamental parameter actually reflects the surface thermodynamic interactions between injected probes and solid substrates. Methods: The London dispersion equation and the Hamieh thermal model are used to quantify the London dispersive and polar surface energy of graphenes and carbon fibers as well their Lewis acid-base constants by introducing the coupling amphoteric constant of materials. Results: The London dispersive and polar acid-base surface energies, the free energy of adsorption, the polar enthalpy and entropy, and the Lewis acid-base constants of graphenes and carbon materials are determined. Conclusions: It is shown that graphene exhibited the highest values of London dispersive surface energy, polar surface energy, and Lewis acid-base constants. The highest characteristics of graphene justify its great potentiality and uses in many industrial applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Heterogeneous Catalysis—2nd Edition)
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13 pages, 6866 KiB  
Article
Highly Efficient and Selective Hydrogenation of Biomass-Derived Furfural Using Interface-Active Rice Husk-Based Porous Carbon-Supported NiCu Alloy Catalysts
by Zhiyao Ding, Yujun Gao, Lianghai Hu and Xiaomin Yang
Molecules 2024, 29(11), 2638; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules29112638 - 3 Jun 2024
Viewed by 175
Abstract
A series of bimetallic NixCuy catalysts with different metal molar ratios, supported on nitric acid modified rice husk-based porous carbon (RHPC), were prepared using a simple impregnation method for the liquid-phase hydrogenation of furfural (FFA) to tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA). The [...] Read more.
A series of bimetallic NixCuy catalysts with different metal molar ratios, supported on nitric acid modified rice husk-based porous carbon (RHPC), were prepared using a simple impregnation method for the liquid-phase hydrogenation of furfural (FFA) to tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol (THFA). The Ni2Cu1/RHPC catalyst, with an average metal particle size of 9.3 nm, exhibits excellent catalytic performance for the selective hydrogenation of FFA to THFA. The 100% conversion of FFA and the 99% selectivity to THFA were obtained under mild reaction conditions (50 °C, 1 MPa, 1 h), using water as a green reaction solvent. The synergistic effect of NiCu alloy ensures the high catalytic activity. The acid sites and oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface of the modified RHPC can enhance the selectivity of THFA. The Ni2Cu1/RHPC catalyst offers good cyclability and regenerability. The current work proposes a simple method for preparing an NiCu bimetallic catalyst. The catalyst exhibits excellent performance in the catalytic hydrogenation of furfural to tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol, which broadens the application of non-noble metal bimetallic nanocatalysts in the catalytic hydrogenation of furfural. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Heterogeneous Catalysis—2nd Edition)
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16 pages, 2740 KiB  
Article
Enhanced Heterogeneous Fenton Degradation of Organic Dyes by Bimetallic Zirconia-Based Catalysts
by Eleonora Aneggi, Sajid Hussain, Walter Baratta, Daniele Zuccaccia and Daniele Goi
Molecules 2024, 29(9), 2074; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/molecules29092074 - 30 Apr 2024
Viewed by 704
Abstract
The qualitative impact of pollutants on water quality is mainly related to their nature and their concentration, but in any case, they determine a strong impact on the involved ecosystems. In particular, refractory organic compounds represent a critical challenge, and several degradation processes [...] Read more.
The qualitative impact of pollutants on water quality is mainly related to their nature and their concentration, but in any case, they determine a strong impact on the involved ecosystems. In particular, refractory organic compounds represent a critical challenge, and several degradation processes have been studied and developed for their removal. Among them, heterogeneous Fenton treatment is a promising technology for wastewater and liquid waste remediation. Here, we have developed mono- and bimetallic formulations based on Co, Cu, Fe, and Mn, which were investigated for the degradation of three model organic dyes (methylene blue, rhodamine B, and malachite green). The treated samples were then analyzed by means of UV-vis spectrophotometry techniques. Bimetallic iron-based materials achieved almost complete degradation of all three model molecules in very short time. The Mn-Fe catalyst resulted in the best formulation with an almost complete degradation of methylene blue and malachite green at pH 5 in 5 min and of rhodamine B at pH 3 in 30 min. The results suggest that these formulations can be applied for the treatment of a broad range of liquid wastes comprising complex and variable organic pollutants. The investigated catalysts are extremely promising when compared to other systems reported in the literature. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Heterogeneous Catalysis—2nd Edition)
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