Article
Energy & Fuels
Emad N. Al-Shafei, Mohammed Z. Albahar, Mohammad F. Aljishi, Ali N. Aljishi, Galal A. Nasser, Mohammed A. Sanhoob, Ali S. Alnasir, Ahmed AlAsseel
Summary: This study investigates the steam catalytic cracking of dodecane, and finds that the structure of zeolite plays an important role in the yield and selectivity of light olefins. The addition of steam can also modify the structure of zeolite.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Fengqiu Chen, Jing Hao, Yueyang Yu, Dang-guo Cheng, Xiaoli Zhan
Summary: Hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolites with similar porous structures but different external acid strength were prepared through chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. The results show that the external environment and micropores have different catalytic roles, and the weakening of acid strength is beneficial for suppressing specific reactions.
MICROPOROUS AND MESOPOROUS MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Zijian Wang, Rongxin Zhang, Jieguang Wang, Zhongwei Yu, Yanjuan Xiang, Lingjiang Kong, Hongquan Liu, Aizeng Ma
Summary: This study manufactured different hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolites and characterized their structure properties and acidities. It was found that alkaline treatment with NaHCO3 could adjust acidity, form hierarchical structures, and enhance the catalytic ability and anti-coke deposition performance. Among the catalysts, ZNaHCO(3) showed the highest n-pentane conversion and light olefins selectivity.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Leilei Dai, Hailong Zhao, Nan Zhou, Kirk Cobb, Paul Chen, Yanling Cheng, Hanwu Lei, Rongge Zou, Yunpu Wang, Roger Ruan
Summary: Catalytic cracking of plastics into naphtha as a substitute for new plastic production has the potential to contribute to the plastic circular economy. By utilizing hierarchical ZSM-5 catalysts, a significant improvement (4.3 x to 12.3 x) in catalyst lifetime has been achieved compared to conventional analogues. Increasing the Bronsted acid concentration enhances catalyst lifetime and boosts cumulative aromatic selectivity, resulting in economic benefits and reduced environmental impact.
RESOURCES CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Son Dong, Houqian Li, Iris K. Bloede, Abdullah J. Al Abdulghani, Edgard A. Lebron-Rodriguez, George W. Huber, Ive Hermans
Summary: The catalytic conversion of model compounds for plastic pyrolysis oil (1-octene, octadiene, octane, and toluene) over ZSM-5 in a fixed-bed reactor was investigated mechanistically. The conversion of 1-octene resulted in the production of benzene, toluene, xylene, coke, and hydrogen through a series of cracking, oligomerization, cyclization, and hydrogen transfer reactions. Octadiene mainly contributed to reactor fouling through thermal coking, while octane and toluene were converted through cracking reactions and disproportionation, dealkylation, and coking reactions, respectively. The use of mesoporous ZSM-5 maintained product selectivity for 70 hours in time-on-stream experiments.
APPLIED CATALYSIS B-ENVIRONMENTAL
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Leilei Dai, Nan Zhou, Hui Li, Yunpu Wang, Yuhuan Liu, Kirk Cobb, Yanling Cheng, Hanwu Lei, Paul Chen, Roger Ruan
Summary: By utilizing relay catalysis with Al2O3 and ZSM-5 zeolite, the catalytic fast pyrolysis of LDPE can efficiently produce high value naphtha. Under optimized conditions, the selectivity of monoaromatics and C-5-C-12 alkanes/olefins can reach up to 100% in the product.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Emad N. Al-Shafei, Mohammed Z. Albahar, Mohammad F. Aljishi, Aaron Akah, Ali N. Aljishi, Ahmed Alasseel
Summary: The study focuses on reforming heavy naphtha to increase gasoline octane number. A modified ZSM-5 zeolite catalyst with steam treatment was developed to improve the conversion and selectivity of the reaction. The addition of steam reduced coke formation and resulted in a gasoline reformate with high research octane number (RON). The modified catalyst showed high conversion and favored the production of olefins, paraffin, and iso-paraffins, along with aromatics and naphthenes.
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Hagos Birhane Asfha, Ashenafi Hailu Berta, Nayoung Kang, Danim Yun, Jaedeuk Park, Yong-Ki Park, Kiwoong Kim
Summary: In this study, a reaction mechanism of light straight run naphtha cracking over micro-spherical catalyst containing HZSM-5 was systematically investigated. The results showed that light paraffins and olefins were the primary products, and oligomerization and β-scission cracking dominated the secondary reactions. Experiments on single hydrocarbon feeds indicated that BTX formation proceeded via the formation of cycloalkanes and cyclo-olefinic intermediates. Temperature and space time influenced the product selectivity, with propylene selectivity increasing at lower temperatures and ethylene selectivity increasing at higher temperatures.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Qitong Cheng, Benxian Shen, Jichang Liu, Xinglong Qin, Lei Ye, Biao Xing
Summary: The study focused on the naphtha-methanol coupling conversion catalyzed by HZSM-5, with a structured lumping (SOL) kinetic model developed to predict product distributions. Significant improvements in naphtha conversion rate and light olefin yield were achieved using this approach.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Emad N. Shafei, Mohammed Z. Albahar, Mohammad F. Aljishi, Ali N. Aljishi, Ali S. Alnasir, Hameed H. Al-Badairy, Mohammed A. Sanhoob
Summary: A zirconia-titania-based catalyst with nanocrystal structure was synthesized to facilitate the catalytic cracking of heavy naphtha into high value-added olefins. By incorporating ZrO2 into the TiO2 framework, the catalyst exhibited increased surface acidity which enhanced the cracking of naphtha and promoted the production of olefins.
REACTION CHEMISTRY & ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Beatriz Valle, Roberto Palos, Javier Bilbao, Ana G. Gayubo
Summary: The behavior of Y and ZSM-5 zeolites in catalytic cracking of bio-oil for fuel and platform chemical production was compared. The catalysts were characterized and tested in a continuous two-step catalytic cracking system, showing that HZSM-5 catalyst leads to aromatics production while HY catalyst yields aliphatic gasoline and diesel fractions. The remaining upgraded bio-oil contains light oxygenates with low phenolic compounds.
FUEL PROCESSING TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Rafael B. Lima, Miguel M. S. Neto, Daniele S. Oliveira, Anne G. D. Santos, Luiz D. Souza, Vinicius P. S. Caldeira
Summary: Efforts have been made to synthesize hierarchical zeolites through NaOH treatment, using cetyltrimethylammonium bromide as pore-directing agent. Results showed that microwave heating method generated narrower pore size distribution, leading to higher conversion rate and temperature reduction in ZSM-5 zeolites.
ADVANCED POWDER TECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Kang Chen, Jiyu Zhao, Anhui Li, Guosheng Li, Qiang Zhang, Tian Xia, Hongjuan Zhao, Xiaochun Zhu, Honghai Liu, Xionghou Gao, Chunming Xu, Baojian Shen
Summary: This study confirmed the possibility of realumination of dealuminated HZSM-5 zeolites through acid treatment. The reinsertion of extra-framework aluminia into the framework was observed during the realumination process. The distribution of framework Al was found to be closely related to the realumination capacity. Realuminated zeolites exhibited higher conversion of n-octane and higher selectivity of propylene in catalytic cracking reaction.
MICROPOROUS AND MESOPOROUS MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Peng Wang, Xia Xiao, Yutong Pan, Zhen Zhao, Guiyuan Jiang, Zhongdong Zhang, Fanfang Meng, Yuming Li, Xiaoqiang Fan, Lian Kong, Zean Xie
Summary: Nanosheet-stacked hierarchical ZSM-5 zeolite was synthesized using a seed-assisted hydrothermal synthesis route. The morphology and textural properties of the catalysts were finely modulated by varying the molar ratio of structure-directing agent and growth modifier. The MFI zeolite nanosheets exhibited better anticoking stability and higher selectivity to light olefins.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Jipeng Meng, Tianyun Cui, Di Bai, Chuang Li, Xiao Chen, Changhai Liang
Summary: This study investigates the hydroisomerization of n-hexadecane over Pt catalysts supported on hierarchical ZSM-48 zeolite. The post-treatment procedures are applied to enhance the accessible acid sites and mesoporosity of the catalysts. Results show that the treated samples exhibit excellent activity and iso-selectivity due to the enhanced mesoporosity and highly-accessible acid sites.
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Juan J. Mercadal, Alvaro Mayoral, Jose Luis G. Fierrod, Enrique Garcia-Bordeje, Ignacio Melian-Cabrera
Summary: By purifying the raw SWCNT in one step, lowering the MeOx concentration and generating surface C=O groups, the catalytic performance of SWCNT in the oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene was significantly improved. The textural improvement and MeOx removal contributed to the enhancement of EB conversion, ST selectivity, and reduction of COx selectivity.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Crystallography
Guillermo Barcena-Gonzalez, Andrei Hernandez-Robles, Alvaro Mayoral, Lidia Martinez, Yves Huttel, Pedro L. Galindo, Arturo Ponce
Summary: Electron backscattering diffraction analyzes crystalline phases at large scales, while precession electron diffraction obtains 4D-STEM data for nanometric structure elucidation. Both techniques have limitations due to probe size and complexity of image acquisition. Advanced machine learning techniques, such as deep learning, can overcome these limitations. This research demonstrates how Gabor filters can effectively extract features from electron microscopy images, reducing the need for large training datasets. The combination of Gabor filters and unsupervised learning enables particle segmentation and crystal orientation mapping at atomic scale.
CRYSTAL RESEARCH AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Yawen Xiao, Ahmed S. Helal, Eva Mazario, Alvaro Mayoral, Alexandre Chevillot-Biraud, Philippe Decorse, Remi Losno, Francois Maurel, Souad Ammar, John S. Lomas, Miryana Hemadi
Summary: In this study, Maghemite (gamma-Fe2O3) nanoparticles were functionalized with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) and reacted with diethylenetriamine-pentaacetic acid (DTPA) to obtain a nanohybrid adsorbent DAMNP. The DAMNP showed high adsorption capacity and selectivity for uranyl ions, making it a promising candidate for recovering uranium from nuclear wastewaters.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jian Li, Zihao Rei Gao, Qing-Fang Lin, Chenxu Liu, Fangxin Gao, Cong Lin, Siyao Zhang, Hua Deng, Alvaro Mayoral, Wei Fan, Song Luo, Xiaobo Chen, Hong He, Miguel A. Camblor, Fei-Jian Chen, Jihong Yu
Summary: ZEO-3 is a highly stable pure silica zeolite with a multidimensional, interconnected system of extra-large pores open through windows made by 16 and 14 silicate tetrahedra. It has a higher specific surface area compared to other zeolites and metal-organic frameworks, and exhibits excellent performance for volatile organic compound abatement and recovery.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Munzir H. Suliman, Zain H. Yamani, Muhammad Usman
Summary: In this study, copper-melamine complex was used to synthesize copper-based electrocatalysts, specifically copper nanoparticles decorated on nitrogen-doped carbon nanosheets. The as-prepared electrocatalysts showed good dispersion, high current density, electrochemical surface area, electrical conductivity, stability, and faradic efficiency in the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction.
Article
Nanoscience & Nanotechnology
Maria Sancho-Albero, Nazeeha Ayaz, Victor Sebastian, Cristina Chirizzi, Miguel Encinas-Gimenez, Giulia Neri, Linda Chaabane, Lluis Lujan, Pilar Martin-Duque, Pierangelo Metrangolo, Jesu's Santamaria, Francesca Baldelli Bombelli
Summary: Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are important for cell-to-cell communication and show potential as efficient delivery vectors. However, current imaging tools have limitations in understanding EV behavior in vivo. This study presents the use of fluorinated EVs containing PERFECTA, a branched molecule with 36 magnetically equivalent 19F atoms, for imaging biodistribution and EV delivery. The PERFECTA-EVs maintained the characteristics and morphology of native EVs while exhibiting strong 19F-NMR signal and good 19F relaxation times.
ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ramiro Quiros-Ovies, Maria Laborda, Natalia Martin Sabanes, Lucia Martin-Perez, Sara Moreno-Da Silva, Enrique Burzuri, Victor Sebastian, Emilio M. Perez, Jesus Santamaria
Summary: This article introduces a method for efficient exfoliation of MoS2 layers by utilizing its excellent MW absorption properties. The method involves rapid heating to induce near-instantaneous evaporation of a low boiling point solvent, leading to the separation of MoS2 layers with high efficiency. The method shows high yields, good quality, and large area coverage.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Mariia Savchenko, Victor Sebastian, Modesto Torcuato Lopez-Lopez, Alejandro Rodriguez-Navarro, Luis Alvarez De Cienfuegos, Concepcion Jimenez-Lopez, Jose Antonio Gavira
Summary: This article discusses the importance of crystallization in confined spaces for both natural processes and man-made materials. Studying nucleation in confined spaces can help us understand similar natural events, design new methods to control crystallization, and expand our knowledge in the field of crystallography.
CRYSTAL GROWTH & DESIGN
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Daniel Antoran, Dario Alvira, M. Eser Peker, Hugo Malon, Silvia Irusta, Victor Sebastian, Joan J. Manya
Summary: The study focuses on the potential application of waste hemp-hurd-derived carbons as anodes in sodium-ion batteries. The carbons were produced through a scalable process involving pyrolysis of biomass, chemical activation, and heating. The best performing carbon material exhibited excellent initial coulombic efficiency, reversible charge capacities, cyclic stability, and rate capability, which can be attributed to its unique textural and structural features.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Amvrosios G. Georgiadis, Georgios I. Siakavelas, Anastasios I. Tsiotsias, Nikolaos D. Charisiou, Benedikt Ehrhardt, Wen Wang, Victor Sebastian, Steven J. Hinder, Mark A. Baker, Simone Mascotto, Maria A. Goula
Summary: Ni/LnO(x)-type catalysts were prepared and characterized for the dry reforming of biogas. LNO showed higher catalytic activity compared to other materials. However, it suffered from significant activity loss and reactor blockage. The deactivation was attributed to extensive coke deposition, including disordered carbon and multi-walled carbon nanotubes.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF HYDROGEN ENERGY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Zhuoya Dong, Enci Zhang, Yilan Jiang, Alvaro Mayoral, Qing Zhang, Yanhang Ma, Huaidong Jiang
Summary: In this study, electron ptychography was used to directly observe the local structures of two zeolites, Na-LTA and ZSM-5. The framework atoms and extra-framework cations were successfully imaged. This approach provides a new way to locally image zeolite structures and is important for further studying and tuning zeolite active sites at the atomic level.
JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
R. Manno, P. Ranjan, V. Sebastian, R. Mallada, S. Irusta, E. V. Van der Eycken, J. Santamaria
Summary: Given the potential of metallic clusters, developing novel preparation methods to control cluster size accurately has become a research priority. Specifically, for catalytic applications, synthesizing and deploying metallic nanoclusters on a proper substrate is the main challenge. This study used an alternative reactor that combined ice cooling and microwave heating to synthesize Ag nanoclusters directly over a support with ordered mesopores. The method showed promising results in terms of catalytic activity and stability.
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Guillermo Landa, Laura G. Miranda-Calderon, Alex Gomez, Marta Perez, Victor Sebastian, Manuel Arruebo, Isabelle Lamarche, Frederic Tewes, Silvia Irusta, Gracia Mendoza
Summary: The increasing prevalence of non-healing infected wounds has become a serious concern in clinical practice. This study evaluated the effectiveness of combining natural antiseptics with standard care antiseptic in treating Staphylococcus aureus infections. The results showed that the combination treatment had superior bactericidal effects both in vitro and in vivo.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PHARMACEUTICS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sergio Tatay, Sonia Martinez-Gimenez, Ana Rubio-Gaspar, Eloy Gomez-Oliveira, Javier Castells-Gil, Zhuoya Dong, Alvaro Mayoral, Neyvis Almora-Barrios, Natalia M. Padial, Carlos Marti-Gastaldo
Summary: Changing the perception of defects as imperfections in crystalline frameworks into correlated domains amenable to chemical control and targeted design offers opportunities for designing porous materials with superior performance. By using UiO-66 as an experimental platform, the authors explored the framework chemical space of defective materials and demonstrated the existence of correlated disorder.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Lodovico Gatti, Cristina Chirizzi, Giulia Rotta, Pietro Milesi, Maria Sancho-Albero, Victor Sebastian, Anna Mondino, Jesus Santamaria, Pierangelo Metrangolo, Linda Chaabane, Francesca Baldelli Bombelli
Summary: Non-invasive imaging technologies are crucial for tracking cells in vivo and accelerating the clinical translation of cell-based therapies. F-19-MRI has gained attention for unbiased cell localization, but the development of high-performance F-19-probes is necessary. This study highlights the importance of surface functionalization of PLGA-based NPs containing PERFECTA, emphasizing the role of protein corona formation in enhancing cellular labeling efficacy. The formation of protein corona in culture medium can significantly increase the detection sensitivity by F-19-MRI.
NANOSCALE ADVANCES
(2023)
