Open Access
Zirconia-supported 11-molybdovanadophosphoric acid catalysts: effect of the preparation method on their catalytic activity and selectivity
(Wiley, 2018) El Bakkali, Bouchra; Trautwein, Guido; Alcañiz Monge, Juan; Reinoso, Santiago; Institute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics - INAMAT2; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa; Gobierno de Navarra / Nafarroako Gobernua
The oxidation of adamantane with hydrogen peroxide catalyzed by zirconia-supported 11-molybdovanadophosphoric acid is shown to be a suitable green route for the synthesis of adamantanol and adamantanone. This work evaluates how the catalyst activity and selectivity are affected by some of its preparative parameters, such as the method for supporting the catalytically active heteropoly acid over the zirconia matrix or the pretreatments applied to the resulting materials before being used as heterogeneous catalysts. Our results indicate that the most effective catalysts able to maintain their activity after several reaction runs are those prepared by following the sol-gel route, whereas the most selective catalysts are those obtained by impregnation methods. Moreover, the calcination temperature has also been identified as a relevant parameter influencing the performance of catalysts based on supported heteropoly acids. The increasing catalytic activity observed over several consecutive reaction runs has been attributed to the formation of peroxo derivatives of polyoxometalate clusters at the surface of the catalyst and their accumulation after each reaction cycle.
Open Access
Zirconia-supported tungstophosphoric heteropolyacid as heterogeneous acid catalyst for biodiesel production
(Elsevier, 2018) Alcañiz Monge, Juan; El Bakkali, Bouchra; Trautwein, Guido; Reinoso, Santiago; Institute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics - INAMAT2; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
A series of materials based on the immobilization of the 12-tungstophosphoric heteropolyacid over zirconia supports have been prepared and applied as heterogeneous acid catalysts in the esterification of palmitic acid with methanol as a model reaction for the preliminary stage of the biodiesel production. The title materials have been obtained through the sol-gel method combined with a subsequent hydrothermal treatment at mild conditions, which affords catalysts with larger porosity and higher thermal and chemical stability under the esterification reaction conditions than other preparative approaches. Generating the zirconia support by hydrolysis of an alkoxyde precursor in the presence of the heteropolyacid leads to materials with homogeneously well-dispersed clusters, as well as to an increasing contribution of the tetragonal ZrO2 crystalline phase, a decreasing size of the nanoparticles and larger microporous volumes as the loading of the Keggin-type species increases. The 12-tungstophosphoric acid retains its catalytic activity in the esterification of palmitic acid with methanol at 60 °C upon immobilization over zirconia and conversions even higher than those observed under homogeneous conditions are obtained due to the active contribution of the support. The sample with a 30% mass percentage of heteropolyacid has been identified as the most efficient catalyst because it affords conversions above the 90% and shows the lower loss of activity over successive reaction runs among all of our materials. This loss of activity has been analyzed on the basis of the leaching of the catalyst and the fouling of the materials.
Open Access
A simple approach to develop tailored mesoporosity in nanostructured heteropolysalts
(Wiley, 2017) Alcañiz Monge, Juan; Trautwein, Guido; El Bakkali, Bouchra; Reinoso, Santiago; Institute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics - INAMAT2; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
In this study, we describe a very simple approach to the development of tailored mesoporosity in any nanostructured heteropolysalt with control over both the mesoporous volume and the pore size. This approach, which consists in the treatment of a solid microporous precursor with a basic agent, has been tested on the ammonium salt of the Keggin‐type [PMo12O40]3− heteropolyanion and constitutes a novel procedure for the preparation of mesoporous solids with no precedents. The results obtained in this study allow two main conclusions to be drawn: 1) the micro‐ and mesoporous structures in the heteropolysalt nanoparticles are independent from each other and 2) the development of mesoporosity in the solid material must be related to a process of alkaline degradation within the core of the nanocrystals that aggregate into the particles. These results afford valuable additional information to the present model of porosity that has been established for heteropolysalts.
Open Access
Electrical conduction mechanism in carbon-ceramic composites
(Elsevier, 2023) Alcañiz Monge, Juan; Gil-Muñoz, Gema; Trautwein, Guido; Reinoso, Santiago; Institute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics - INAMAT2
Carbon-ceramic composites (C/Cer) have been prepared by chemical vapor deposition of coal tar pitch onto clay substrates and characterized by thermogravimetric analyses, powder X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, and scanning and transmission electron microscopies (SEM and TEM). The study of the dc electrical conductivity, together with the determination of the Hall voltage sign, proves that such C/Cer composites are n-type semiconductors. Our results demonstrate that: 1) the mechanism of electrical conduction of C/Cer semiconductors proceeds through the pathways expected for amorphous solids (ie. variable-range hopping and heat-activated pathways at low and high temperatures, respectively); and 2) their transport properties are strongly dependent on the clay components, as evidenced by microscopy experiments.
Open Access
Polyoxometalates in catalysis
(Jenny Stanford Publishing, 2022) Alcañiz Monge, Juan; Reinoso, Santiago; Ciencias; Zientziak; Institute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics - INAMAT2
This chapter will focus on providing a basis for understanding the mechanisms involved in the catalysis carried out by selected polyoxometalate (POM)-based compounds. The catalysts discussed herein will be either insoluble POM salts or POM clusters heterogenized on porous solid supports, including activated carbon materials and metallic oxides such as zirconia. The influence on the catalytic activity of both the POM catalytic species and the active porous support will be the main aspects to be commented and analyzed in detail within the chapter.