Marco Piccinini

Selective oxidation of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural using supported gold–copper nanoparticles

The oxidation of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural was studied under mild reaction conditions using TiO2-supported Au and Au–Cu catalysts synthesized from pre-formed nanoparticles. Bimetallic gold-copper catalysts display superior activity as compared to monometallic gold. Moreover, after reaction, the bimetallic Au–Cu catalysts can be recovered by filtration and reused without significant loss of activity and selectivity whereas gold materials are not stable. STEM-HAADF imagining and XEDS spectra obtained from bimetallic materials show that particles are homogeneous AuCu alloys. No AuCu ordering or segregation effects were noted from these analyses, and the Au:Cu ratio was quite consistent from particle-to-particle irrespective of its absolute size, proving the efficiency of the original method of synthesis utilized. Isolation effects of gold by copper in the alloy nanoparticles is imagined to play a pivotal role in the reaction. The effect of oxygen pressure, metal loading, reaction time, amount of base and temperature were studied in detail and a 99% yield of furandicarboxylic acid was achieved under optimized reaction conditions.

Direct Synthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide and Benzyl Alcohol Oxidation Using Au—Pd Catalysts Prepared by Sol Immobilization

We report the preparation of Au-Pd nanocrystalline catalysts supported on activated carbon prepared via a sol-immobilization technique and explore their use for the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide and the oxidation of benzyl alcohol. In particular, we examine the synthesis of a systematic set of Au-Pd colloidal nanoparticles having a range of Au/Pd ratios. The catalysts have been structurally characterized using a combination of UV-visible spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, STEM HAADF/XEDS, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The Au-Pd nanoparticles are found in the majority of cases to be homogeneous alloys, although some variation is observed in the AuPd composition at high Pd/Au ratios. The optimum performance for the synthesis of hydrogen peroxide is observed for a catalyst having a Au/Pd 1:2 molar ratio. However, the competing hydrogenation reaction of hydrogen peroxide increases with increasing Pd content, although Pd alone is less effective than when Au is also present. Investigation of the oxidation of benzyl alcohol using these materials also shows that the optimum selective oxidation to the aldehyde occurs for the Au/Pd 1:2 molar ratio catalyst. These measured activity trends are discussed in terms of the structure and composition of the supported Au-Pd nanoparticles.

The Direct Synthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide Using Platinum‐Promoted Gold–Palladium Catalysts

The direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide offers a potentially green route to the production of this important commodity chemical. Early studies showed that Pd is a suitable catalyst, but recent work indicated that the addition of Au enhances the activity and selectivity significantly. The addition of a third metal using impregnation as a facile preparation method was thus investigated. The addition of a small amount of Pt to a CeO2-supported AuPd (weight ratio of 1:1) catalyst significantly enhanced the activity in the direct synthesis of H2O2 and decreased the non-desired over-hydrogenation and decomposition reactions. The addition of Pt to the AuPd nanoparticles influenced the surface composition, thus leading to the marked effects that were observed on the catalytic formation of hydrogen peroxide. In addition, an experimental approach that can help to identify the optimal nominal ternary alloy compositions for this reaction is demonstrated.

Effect of the reaction conditions on the performance of Au–Pd/TiO2 catalyst for the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide

The direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide from H(2) and O(2) has been studied using a high activity AuPd/TiO(2) catalyst. In particular, the effect of variation in the reaction conditions on the productivity of hydrogen peroxide formation is investigated in detail. The effect of H(2)/O(2) molar ratio, temperature, total pressure and solvent composition has been studied and optimised conditions identified. In addition, the effect of carrying out the synthesis reaction in the presence of hydrogen peroxide is investigated and the competing reactions of hydrogen peroxide formation, decomposition and hydrogenation are discussed and optimal operating conditions are identified.

Direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide using Au–Pd-exchanged and supported heteropolyacid catalysts at ambient temperature using water as solvent

The direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide from molecular H2 and O2 represents a green and economic alternative to the current anthraquinone process used for the industrial production of H2O2. In order for the direct process to compete with the anthraquinone process, there is a need for enhanced H2O2 yields and H2 selectivity in the process. We show that Au–Pd-exchanged and supported Cs-containing heteropolyacid catalysts with the Keggin structure are considerably more effective in achieving high H2O2 yields in the absence of acid or halide additives than previously reported catalysts. The Au–Pd-exchanged Cs-heteropolyacid catalysts also show superior H2O2 synthesis activity under challenging conditions (ambient temperature, water-only solvent and CO2-free reaction gas). Au plays a crucial role in achieving the improved performance of these heteropolyacid-based catalysts. The heteropolyacid limits the subsequential hydrogenation/decomposition of H2O2.

Effect of Halide and Acid Additives on the Direct Synthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide using Supported Gold–Palladium Catalysts

The effect of halide and acid addition on the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide is studied for magnesium oxide- and carbon-supported bimetallic gold-palladium catalysts. The addition of acids decreases the hydrogenation/decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, and the effect is particularly pronounced for the magnesium oxide-supported catalysts whilst for carbon-supported catalysts the pH requires close control to optimize hydrogen peroxide synthesis. The addition of bromide leads to a marked decrease in the hydrogenation/decomposition of hydrogen peroxide with either catalyst. These effects are discussed in terms of the structure of the gold-palladium alloy nanoparticles and the isoelectric point of the support. We conclude that with the highly active carbon-supported gold-palladium catalysts these additives are not required and that therefore this system presents the potential for the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide to be operated using green process technology.

Effect of heat treatment on Au–Pd catalysts synthesized by sol immobilisation for the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide and benzyl alcohol oxidation

We have investigated the effect of heat treatment in air on Au–Pd nanoparticles supported on titania and activated carbon prepared via the immobilisation of PVA-stabilised alloy nanoparticles. The catalytic activity of the gold–palladium nanoparticles was affected by both metal and PVA loading, as well as the degree of interaction of the nanoparticles with the support. The turnover frequency numbers for benzyl alcohol and hydrogen peroxide synthesis were also sensitive to the calcination procedure employed and find a doubling of catalytic activity when using activated carbon as opposed to TiO2 as the support material. These results illustrate the importance of understanding the precise metal–support interaction of catalyst systems designed for benzyl alcohol oxidation and hydrogen peroxide synthesis.

Effect of acid pre-treatment on AuPd/SiO2 catalysts for the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide

The direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide is investigated using silica supported Au, Pd and AuPd catalysts. Acid pre-treatment of the silica leads to an increase in the activity of the Pd-containing catalysts and also gives rise to a synergistic enhancement in activity when Au and Pd are combined that is absent in the untreated catalysts. The acid pre-treated mono and bi metallic catalysts show much reduced H2O2 hydrogenation activity compared to their untreated counterparts. The acid pre-treatment increases the concentration of the hydroxyl groups on the support, as demonstrated using inelastic neutron scattering, which helps to disperse the metals on the support. Pd can be dispersed effectively on silica, but Au is very poorly dispersed although this is enhanced marginally by the acid pre-treatment. The origin of the synergistic effect is discussed and is considered to be related to the incorporation of a small amount of Au within the Pd nanoparticles.

The Effect of Bromide Pretreatment on the Performance of Supported Au-Pd Catalysts for the Direct Synthesis of Hydrogen Peroxide

The effect of pretreating Au–Pd catalysts on MgO and C supports with aqueous bromide solution, prior to using them for the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide, has been investigated. These two supports were selected since the parent materials exhibit contrasting microstructures and activities. The carbon‐supported catalysts comprise homogeneous Au–Pd alloy nanoparticles, which give high activity, whereas the MgO‐supported catalyst has Au–Pd alloys with a Pd‐rich surface and a Au‐rich core, which result in lower activity. Pretreatment of these catalysts with bromide was found to enhance H2O2 productivity and the degree of enhancement was largely dependent on the nature of the Au–Pd nanoparticles. Whereas bromide pretreatment significantly enhanced H2O2 productivity over the MgO‐based catalysts, the carbon‐based catalyst only showed a subtle promotional effect. Very low loadings of bromide (0.00034–0.044 wt %) were required to yield a significant positive effect. Higher bromide loadings (0.5–8.3 wt %) proved deleterious. The promotional effect has been correlated to selective poisoning of sites responsible for H2O2 hydrogenation and decomposition. In view of the limited effect of bromide pretreatment on the yield of H2O2 coupled with the effective performance of the carbon supported Au‐Pd catalysts in the absence of halides, for practical processes the addition of halides is not considered advisable with this catalyst system.

Influence of reaction conditions on the direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide over AuPd/carbon catalysts

The direct synthesis of hydrogen peroxide has been studied using a highly active AuPd/C catalyst, where the activated carbon support has been pretreated with dilute HNO3 prior to metal deposition and consequently using standard reaction conditions this catalyst does not hydrogenate H2O2. The effect of reaction variables has been investigated on the synthesis and hydrogenation activity over this catalyst. The effect of H2/O2 molar ratio, temperature, total pressure and solvent composition has been studied and optimised conditions identified. The effect of these conditions on the hydrogenation activity was also evaluated; thereby permitting an optimal set of reaction conditions to be identified for both the synthesis of H2O2 and its hydrogenation/decomposition.