Skip to main content

Model Ruthenium Oxide Catalysts for Biomass Conversion


EMSL Project ID
49642

Abstract

This proposal focuses on mechanistic studies of biomass deoxygenation chemistry on model ruthenium oxide catalysts. Our previous work has concentrated on the properties of TiO2, WO3, and MoO3 based catalysts. The studies aim at understanding the structure and chemistry of RuOx clusters prepared by vaporization of stable ruthenium oxides. Such monodispersed gas phase RuOx clusters will serve as a unique source for the preparation of supported homotopic model catalysts. The dehydration and dehydrogenation of simple aliphatic alcohols and diols will be used to model the chemistry of oxygen-containing functional groups present on more complex biomass molecules. Proposed studies will also focus on catalytic chemistry of RuO2(110) surface, which will be contrasted with the chemistry of RuOx clusters. This surface is structurally identical but chemically distinct from the previously extensively studied TiO2(110). A direct comparison of the catalytic chemistry on these two structural analogs will uncover how their different redox and acid/base properties influence elemental steps and product branching in alcohol and diol conversion on distinct surface sites.

Project Details

Start Date
2016-10-01
End Date
2019-09-30
Status
Closed

Team

Principal Investigator

Zdenek Dohnalek
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Co-Investigator(s)

Roger Rousseau
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Team Members

Zbynek Novotny
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Long Chen
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Falko Netzer
Institution
Karl-Franzens Universitaet Graz

Bruce Kay
Institution
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Related Publications

Dahal AP, and Z Dohnalek. 2017. "Formation of Metastable Water Chains on Anatase TiO2(101)." Journal of Physical Chemistry C 121(37):20413-20418. doi:10.1021/acs.jpcc.7b08122
Dahal A.P., R. Mu, I.V. Lyubinetsky, and Z. Dohnalek. 2018. "Hydrogen Adsorption and Reaction on RuO2(110)." Surface Science 677. PNNL-SA-131853. doi:10.1016/j.susc.2018.07.014
Frederick RT, Z Novotny, FP Netzer, GS Herman, and Z Dohnalek. 2018. "Growth and Stability of Titanium Dioxide Nanoclusters on Graphene/Ru(0001)." Journal of Physical Chemistry B 122(2):640-648. doi:10.1021/acs.jpcb.7b05518
Henderson M A,Dahal A P,Dohnalek Z ,Lyubinetsky I V 2016. "Strong temperature dependence in the reactivity of H2 on RuO2(110)" Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters 7(15):2967–2970. 10.1021/acs.jpclett.6b01307
Henderson MA, R Mu, AP Dahal, I Lyubinetsky, Z Dohnalek, VA Glezakou, and RJ Rousseau. 2016. "Light Makes a Surface Banana-bond Split: Photodesorption of Molecular Hydrogen from RuO2(110)." Journal of the American Chemical Society 138(28):8714-8717. doi:10. 1021/jacs. 6b05083
Wang Z, Y Wang, R Mu, Y Yoon, AP Dahal, GK Schenter, VA Glezakou, RJ Rousseau, IV Lyubinetsky, and Z Dohnalek. 2017. "Probing Equilibrium of Molecular and Deprotonated Water on TiO2(110)." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 114(8):1801-1805. doi:10.1073/pnas.1613756114