In this study, Pt nanoparticles on zeolite/γ-Al2O3 composites (50/50 wt) were located either in the zeolite or on the γ-Al2O3 binder, hereby varying the average distance (intimacy) between zeolite acid sites and metal sites from "closest"to "nanoscale". The catalytic performance of these catalysts was compared to physical mixtures of zeolite and Pt/γ-Al2O3 powders, which provide a "microscale"distance between sites. Several beneficial effects on catalytic activity and selectivity for n-heptane hydroisomerization were observed when Pt nanoparticles are located on the γ-Al2O3 binder in nanoscale proximity with zeolite acid sites, as opposed to Pt nanoparticles located inside zeolite crystals. On ZSM-5-based catalysts, mostly monobranched isomers were produced, and the isomer selectivity of these catalysts was almost unaffected with an intimacy ranging from closest to microscale, which can be attributed to the high diffusional barriers of branched isomers within ZSM-5 micropores. For composite catalysts based on large-pore zeolites (zeolite Beta and zeolite Y), the activity and selectivity benefitted from the nanoscale intimacy with Pt, compared to both the closest and microscale intimacies. Intracrystalline gradients of heptenes as reaction intermediates are likely contributors to differences in activity and selectivity. This paper aims to provide insights into the influence of the metal-acid intimacy in bifunctional catalysts based on zeolites with different framework topologies.

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Using model catalysts with well-defined particle sizes and morphologies to elucidate questions regarding catalytic activity and stability has gained more interest, particularly utilizing colloidally prepared metal(oxide) particles. Here, colloidally synthesized iron oxide nanoparticles (FexOy-NPs, size ∼7 nm) on either a titania (FexOy/TiO2) or a silica (FexOy/SiO2) support were studied. These model catalyst systems showed excellent activity in the Fischer-Tropsch to olefin (FTO) reaction at high pressure. However, the FexOy/TiO2 catalyst deactivated more than the FexOy/SiO2 catalyst. After analyzing the used catalysts, it was evident that the FexOy-NP on titania had grown to 48 nm, while the FexOy-NP on silica was still 7 nm in size. STEM-EDX revealed that the growth of FexOy/TiO2 originated mainly from the hydrogen reduction step and only to a limited extent from catalysis. Quantitative STEM-EDX measurements indicated that at a reduction temperature of 350 °C, 80% of the initial iron had dispersed over and into the titania as iron species below imaging resolution. The Fe/Ti surface atomic ratios from XPS measurements indicated that the iron particles first spread over the support after a reduction temperature of 300 °C followed by iron oxide particle growth at 350 °C. Mössbauer spectroscopy showed that 70% of iron was present as Fe2+, specifically as amorphous iron titanates (FeTiO3), after reduction at 350 °C. The growth of iron nanoparticles on titania is hypothesized as an Ostwald ripening process where Fe2+ species diffuse over and through the titania support. Presynthesized nanoparticles on SiO2 displayed structural stability, as only ∼10% iron silicates were formed and particles kept the same size during in situ reduction, carburization, and FTO catalysis.

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The attachment of colloidal iron‐oxide nanoparticles (designated Fe‐NPs) to pristine and surface‐oxidized carbon nanotubes (CNTs and CNT‐Ox, respectively) was investigated. The loadings of Fe‐NPs (size 7 nm) on the CNT and CNT‐Ox supports amounted to 3.4 and 2.3 wt. %, respectively; the difference was attributed to weaker van der Waals interactions between the colloidal Fe‐NPs and the surface of CNT‐Ox. Fischer–Tropsch to olefins (FTO) synthesis was performed to investigate the impact of support functionalization on catalyst performance. Weak interactions between the Fe‐NPs and the CNT‐Ox support facilitated particle growth and led to substantial deactivation of the Fe/CNT‐Ox catalysts. The addition of promoters (Na+S) to Fe/CNT resulted in remarkable activity, selectivity to lower olefins, and stability, making colloidal iron nanoparticles on pristine CNTs a suitable catalyst for FTO synthesis.@en

The development of synthetic protocols for the preparation of highly loaded metal nanoparticle-supported catalysts has received a great deal of attention over the last few decades. Independently controlling metal loading, nanoparticle size, distribution, and accessibility has proven challenging because of the clear interdependence between these crucial performance parameters. Here we present a stepwise methodology that, making use of a cobalt-containing metal organic framework as hard template (ZIF-67), allows addressing this long-standing challenge. Condensation of silica in the Co-metal organic framework pore space followed by pyrolysis and subsequent calcination of these composites renders highly loaded cobalt nanocomposites (~ 50 wt.% Co), with cobalt oxide reducibility in the order of 80% and a good particle dispersion, that exhibit high activity, C5 + selectivity and stability in Fischer-Tropsch synthesis.

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