Exploiting metal-support interactions to tune the properties of iron oxide catalysts

• Grant number: 23/15042-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: January 01, 2024
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Chemistry - Inorganic Chemistry
• Principal Investigator: Daniela Zanchet
• Grantee: Pedro Becchelli de Moraes Nunes
• Host Institution: Instituto de Química (IQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 18/01258-5 - Novel chemical catalytic and photocatalytic processes for the direct conversion of methane and CO2 to products, AP.TEM
• Associated scholarship(s): 24/09610-0 - Quasi in situ XPS characterization of supported and mixed oxides applied to the hydrodeoxygenation reaction, BE.EP.IC

Abstract

Metal or oxide-support interactions can highly impact the catalytic efficiency in a range of reactions, leading to more stable, active, and selective catalytic sites. A well-known methodology that provides a catalyst with such a structure is the impregnation of a metal or reducible metal oxide on a support, which can have its electronic and structural properties modulated, aiming for the desired catalytic improvements. In this project, we will study systems composed of FeOx-supported on different metal oxides (TiO2, SiO2, CeO2, ³-Al2O3 and MgAl2O4), with each one having its intrinsic acidic, electronic, and redox properties. These systems will be explored in the hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) reaction, which is one of the key reactions for biomass valorization, and acetone will be used as a model molecule. This reaction deals with the reduction of the oxygen content of the reactional stream through selective C-O cleavage in an H2-rich atmosphere and in the presence of a heterogeneous catalyst. Previous results showed that bulk FeOx can be highly deoxygenating according to its degree of reduction, while C-C hydrogenolysis is not favoured. Thus, this project aims to tune the structural and electronic properties of FeOx-supported catalysts and evaluate the results of such modulations via the HDO reaction of acetone, correlating structural, electronic, and catalytic data according to the system.