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Title: NO Chemisorption on Cu/SSZ-13: a Comparative Study from Infrared Spectroscopy and DFT Calculations

Journal Article · · ACS Catalysis
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/cs500563s· OSTI ID:1166879

The locations and energies of Cu ions in a Cu/SSZ-13 zeolite catalyst were investigated by density functional theory (DFT) calculations. For 'naked' Cu2+ ions (i.e., Cu2+ ions with no ligands in their coordination spheres other than zeolite lattice oxygen atoms), the more energetically favorable sites are within a 6-membered ring. However, with the presence of various adsorbates, the energy difference between 6- and 8-membered ring locations greatly diminishes. Specifically, Cu2+ ions are substantially stabilized by -OH ligands (as [CuII(OH)]+), making the extra-framework sites in an 8-membered ring energetically more favorable than 6-membered ring sites. Under fully dehydrated high vacuum conditions with different Si/Al and Cu/Al ratios, three chemisorbed NO species coexist upon exposure of NO to Cu/SSZ-13: NO+, Cu2+-NO and Cu+-NO. The relative signal intensities for these bands vary greatly with Si/Al ratios. The vibrational frequency of chemisorbed NO was found to be very sensitive to the location of Cu2+ ions. On the one hand, with the aid from DFT calculations, the nature for these vibrations can be assigned in detail. On the other hand, the relative intensities for various Cu2+-NO species provide a good measure of the nature of Cu2+ ions as functions of Si/Al and Cu/Al ratios and the presence of humidity. These new findings cast doubt on the generally accepted proposal that only Cu2+ ions located in 6-membered rings are catalytically active for NH3-SCR.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Environmental Molecular Sciences Lab. (EMSL)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1166879
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-102388; 47953; VT0401000
Journal Information:
ACS Catalysis, Vol. 4, Issue 11; ISSN 2155-5435
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English