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Title: Determining the location and nearest neighbours of aluminium in zeolites with atom probe tomography

Journal Article · · Nature Communications
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms8589· OSTI ID:1260735
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [3];  [1];  [1];  [4];  [5];  [3]
  1. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Environmental Molecular Sciences Lab. (EMSL)
  2. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Inst. for Integrated Catalysis
  3. Univ. of Utrecht (Netherlands)
  4. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Inst. for Integrated Catalysis; Technische Univ. of Munich, Garching (Germany)
  5. UOP LLC, Des Plaines, IL (United States)

Zeolite catalysis is determined by a combination of pore architecture and Brønsted acidity. As Brønsted acid sites are formed by the substitution of AlO4 for SiO4 tetrahedra, it is of utmost importance to have information on the number as well as the location and neighbouring sites of framework aluminium. Unfortunately, such detailed information has not yet been obtained, mainly due to the lack of suitable characterization methods. Here we report, using the powerful atomic-scale analysis technique known as atom probe tomography, the quantitative spatial distribution of individual aluminium atoms, including their three-dimensional extent of segregation. Ultimately, using a nearest-neighbour statistical analysis, we precisely determine the short-range distribution of aluminium over the different T-sites and determine the most probable Al–Al neighbouring distance within parent and steamed ZSM-5 crystals, as well as assess the long-range redistribution of aluminium upon zeolite steaming.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1260735
Journal Information:
Nature Communications, Vol. 6; ISSN 2041-1723
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 118 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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  • Journal of the American Chemical Society, Vol. 125, Issue 24 https://doi.org/10.1021/ja0292905
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Cited By (34)

Discerning the Location and Nature of Coke Deposition from Surface to Bulk of Spent Zeolite Catalysts journal November 2016
Acidity enhancement through synergy of penta- and tetra-coordinated aluminum species in amorphous silica networks text January 2020
An environmental transfer hub for multimodal atom probe tomography text January 2017
Nanoscale Chemical Imaging of Zeolites Using Atom Probe Tomography journal July 2018
Micro-spectroscopy of HKUST-1 metal–organic framework crystals loaded with tetracyanoquinodimethane: effects of water on host–guest chemistry and electrical conductivity journal January 2019
Acidity enhancement through synergy of penta- and tetra-coordinated aluminum species in amorphous silica networks journal January 2020
Mechanistic insights into aqueous phase propanol dehydration in H-ZSM-5 zeolite journal October 2016
Effect of Location and Distribution of Al Sites in ZSM-5 on the Formation of Cu-Oxo Clusters Active for Direct Conversion of Methane to Methanol journal August 2016
Advances in atom probe tomography instrumentation: Implications for materials research journal January 2016
X-ray Excited Optical Fluorescence and Diffraction Imaging of Reactivity and Crystallinity in a Zeolite Crystal: Crystallography and Molecular Spectroscopy in One journal May 2016
Decarboxylation of stearic acid over Ni/MOR catalysts journal October 2019
Probing the Location and Speciation of Elements in Zeolites with Correlated Atom Probe Tomography and Scanning Transmission X‐Ray Microscopy journal October 2018
Conversion of Palmitic Acid Over Bi-functional Ni/ZSM-5 Catalyst: Effect of Stoichiometric Ni/Al Molar Ratio journal August 2018
Nanoscale tomography reveals the deactivation of automotive copper-exchanged zeolite catalysts journal November 2017
Atom Probe Tomography for Catalysis Applications: A Review journal July 2019
Reversible and Site-Dependent Proton-Transfer in Zeolites Uncovered at the Single-Molecule Level journal October 2018
In-line three-dimensional holography of nanocrystalline objects at atomic resolution journal February 2016
Coke Formation in a Zeolite Crystal During the Methanol-to-Hydrocarbons Reaction as Studied with Atom Probe Tomography journal August 2016
Defining Aluminum-Zoning during Synthesis of ZSM-5 Zeolites text January 2020
Characterization of Metal‐zeolite Composite Catalysts: Determining the Environment of the Active Phase journal April 2020
An environmental transfer hub for multimodal atom probe tomography journal May 2017
Coke Formation in a Zeolite Crystal During the Methanol-to-Hydrocarbons Reaction as Studied with Atom Probe Tomography journal August 2016
Engineering of Transition Metal Catalysts Confined in Zeolites journal May 2018
Isolating Clusters of Light Elements in Molecular Sieves with Atom Probe Tomography journal June 2018
Biomass-mediated ZSM-5 zeolite synthesis: when self-assembly allows to cross the Si/Al lower limit journal January 2018
Electron Tomography: A Unique Tool Solving Intricate Hollow Nanostructures journal July 2018
Recent trends and fundamental insights in the methanol-to-hydrocarbons process journal June 2018
Direct Imaging of Atomically Dispersed Molybdenum that Enables Location of Aluminum in the Framework of Zeolite ZSM‐5 journal December 2019
Nanoskalige chemische Bildgebung von Zeolithen durch Atomsondentomographie journal June 2018
Short-range atomic ordering in nonequilibrium silicon-germanium-tin semiconductors journal April 2017
Location of Framework Al Atoms in the Channels of ZSM-5: Effect of the (Hydrothermal) Synthesis journal February 2016
Three-dimensional nanoscale characterisation of materials by atom probe tomography journal November 2016
Kinetic modeling of LPG catalytic cracking using Langmuir–Hinshelwood–Hougen–Watson theory journal July 2019
Direct Imaging of Atomically Dispersed Molybdenum that Enables Location of Aluminum in the Framework of Zeolite ZSM-5 journal December 2019

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