5 research outputs found
Grafted Poly(1→4-β-glucan) Strands on Silica: A Comparative Study of Surface Reactivity as a Function of Grafting Density
Grafted poly(β-glucan) (β-glu) strands on the surface of silica are synthesized with varying degrees of grafting density, and display an amorphous-like environment via <sup>13</sup>C CP/MAS NMR spectroscopy. Thermal gravimetric analysis of these materials under oxidative conditions shows increased β-glu thermal stability with higher degrees of grafting density. The range of temperature stability between the most and least hydrogen-bound grafted β-glu strands spans 321 to 260 °C. This range is bound by the combustion temperature previously measured for crystalline and amorphous cellulose, with the former having greater oxidative stability, and is likely controlled by the extent of hydrogen bonding of a grafted β-glu strand with the underlying silica surface. When using these materials as reactants for glycosidic bond hydrolysis, the total number of reducing ends formed during reaction is quantified using a BCA colorimetric assay. Results demonstrate that the material with greatest interaction with silica surface silanols undergoes hydrolysis at an initial rate that is 6-fold higher than the material with the lowest degree of such interaction. The role of the surface as a reactive interface that can endow oxidative stability and promote hydrolysis activity has broad implications for surface-catalyzed processes dealing with biomass-derived polymers
Understanding the Role of Defect Sites in Glucan Hydrolysis on Surfaces
Though
unfunctionalized mesoporous carbon consisting of weakly
Brønsted acidic OH-defect sites depolymerizes cellulose under
mild conditions, the nature of the active site and how this affects
hydrolysis kineticsî—¸the rate-limiting step of this processî—¸has
remained a puzzle. Here, in this manuscript, we quantify the effect
of surface OH-defect site density during hydrolysis catalysis on the
rate of reaction. Our comparative approach relies on synthesis and
characterization of grafted polyÂ(1→4-β-glucan) (β-glu)
strands on alumina. Grafted β-glu strands on alumina have a
9-fold higher hydrolysis rate per glucan relative to the highest rate
measured for β-glu strands on silica. This amounts to a hydrolysis
rate per grafted center on alumina that is 2.7-fold more active than
on silica. These data are supported by the lower measured activation
energy for hydrolysis of grafted β-glu strands on alumina being
70 kJ/mol relative to 87 kJ/mol on silica. The observed linear increase
of hydrolysis rate with increasing OH-defect site density during catalysis
suggests that the formation of hydrogen bonds between weakly Brønsted
acidic OH-defect sites and constrained glycosidic oxygens (i.e., those
juxtaposed adjacent to the surface) activates the latter for hydrolysis
catalysis. Altogether, these data elucidate crucial structural requirements
for glucan hydrolysis on surfaces and, when coupled with our recent
demonstration of long-chain glucan binding to mesoporous carbon, present
a unified picture, for the first time, of adsorbed glucan hydrolysis
on OH-defect site-containing surfaces, such as unfunctionalized mesoporous
carbon
Fundamental Insights into the Nucleation and Growth of Mg–Al Layered Double Hydroxides Nanoparticles at Low Temperature
Nucleation
and growth of the Mg–Al layered double hydroxide
nanoparticles are controlled by varying the nucleation temperature
in conjunction with a fast addition of metal precursor solution. Nanoparticles
of the size between 20 and 200 nm are obtained, while avoiding the
use of organic structure directing agents and forgoing aging process.
Nanoparticles self-assembly in solution is discussed and correlated
to the agglomeration process
Glucan Adsorption on Mesoporous Carbon Nanoparticles: Effect of Chain Length and Internal Surface
The adsorption of cellulose-derived long-chain (longer
than ten
glucose repeat units on size) glucans onto carbon-based acid catalysts
for hydrolysis has long been hypothesized; however, to date, there
is no information on whether such adsorption can occur and how glucan
chain length influences adsorption. Herein, in this manuscript, we
first describe how glucan chain length influences adsorption energetics,
and use this to understand the adsorption of long-chain glucans onto
mesoporous carbon nanoparticles (MCN) from a concentrated acid solution,
and the effect of mesoporosity on this process. Our results conclusively
demonstrate that mesoporous carbon nanoparticle (MCN) materials adsorb
long-chain glucans from concentrated acid hydrolyzate in amounts of
up to 30% by mass (303 mg/g of MCN), in a manner that causes preferential
adsorption of longer-chain glucans of up to 40 glucose repeat units
and, quite unexpectedly, fast adsorption equilibration times of less
than 4 min. In contrast, graphite-type carbon nanopowders (CNP) that
lack internal mesoporosity adsorb glucans in amounts less than 1%
by mass (7.7 mg/g of CNP), under similar conditions. This inefficiency
of glucan adsorption on CNP might be attributed to the lack of internal
mesoporosity, since the CNP actually possesses greater external surface
area relative to MCN. A systematic study of adsorption of glucans
in the series glucose to cellotetraose on MCN shows a monotonically
decreasing free energy of adsorption upon increasing the glucan chain
length. The free energy of adsorption decreases by at least 0.4 kcal/mol
with each additional glucose unit in this series, and these energetics
are consistent with CH−π interactions providing a significant
energetic contribution for adsorption, similar to previous observationsin
glycoproteins. HPLC of hydrolyzed fragments in solution, <sup>13</sup>C Bloch decay NMR spectroscopy, and GPC provide material balance
closure of adsorbed glucan coverages on MCN materials. The latter
and MALDI-TOF-MS provide direct evidence for adsorption of long-chain
glucans on the MCN surface, which have a radius of gyration larger
than the pore radius of the MCN material
Critical Surface Parameters for the Oxidative Coupling of Methane over the Mn–Na–W/SiO<sub>2</sub> Catalyst
The
work here presents a thorough evaluation of the effect of Mn–Na–W/SiO<sub>2</sub> catalyst surface parameters on its performance in the oxidative
coupling of methane (OCM). To do so, we used microporous dealuminated
β-zeolite (Zeo), or mesoporous SBA-15 (SBA), or macroporous
fumed silica (Fum) as precursors for catalyst preparation, together
with Mn nitrate, Mn acetate and Na<sub>2</sub>WO<sub>4</sub>. Characterizing
the catalysts by inductively coupled plasma–optical emission
spectroscopy, N<sub>2</sub> physisorption, X-ray diffraction, high-resolution
scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive spectroscopy,
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and catalytic testing enabled us
to identify critical surface parameters that govern the activity and
C<sub>2</sub> selectivity of the Mn–Na–W/SiO<sub>2</sub> catalyst. Although the current paradigm views the phase transition
of silica to α-cristobalite as the critical step in obtaining
dispersed and stable metal sites, we show that the choice of precursors
is equally or even more important with respect to tailoring the right
surface properties. Specifically, the SBA-based catalyst, characterized
by relatively closed surface porosity, demonstrated low activity and
low C<sub>2</sub> selectivity. By contrast, for the same composition,
the Zeo-based catalyst showed an open surface pore structure, which
translated up to fourfold higher activity and enhanced selectivity.
By varying the overall composition of the Zeo catalysts, we show that
reducing the overall W concentration reduces the size of the Na<sub>2</sub>WO<sub>4</sub> species and increases the catalytic activity
linearly as much as fivefold higher than the SBA catalyst. This linear
dependence correlates well to the number of interfaces between the
Na<sub>2</sub>WO<sub>4</sub> and Mn<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> species.
Our results combined with prior studies lead us to single out
the interface between Na<sub>2</sub>WO<sub>4</sub> and Mn<sub>2</sub>O<sub>3</sub> as the most probable active site for OCM using this
catalyst. Synergistic interactions between the various precursors
used and the phase transition are discussed in detail, and the conclusions
are correlated to surface properties and catalysis