Structural Dynamics Control Allosteric Activation of Cytohesin Family Arf GTPase Exchange Factors
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Malaby, Andrew W.↗
SEARCH · Engineering Papers
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Suppression of IgE-mediated mast cell activation and mouse anaphylaxis via inhibition of Syk activation by 8-formyl-7-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin, 4μ8C
Mast cells trigger IgE-mediated allergic reactions by releasing various allergic mediators. 8-Formyl-7-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin, also called 4μ8C, was originally known as an inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE1) suppressant, but no study has examined its relationship with mast cells and allergic diseases. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine whether 4μ8C is effective in suppressing allergic reactions in mast cells and in IgE-mediated allergic animal model. 4μ8C suppressed the degranulation of IgE-mediated mast cells (IC{sub 50} = 3.2 μM) and the production of cytokines such as tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) in a dose-dependent manner. 4μ8C also suppressed passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) in mice (ED{sub 50} = 25.1 mg/kg). In an experiment on mast cell signaling pathways stimulated by antigen, the phosphorylation and activation of Syk was decreased by 4μ8C, and phosphorylation of downstream signaling molecules, such as linker for activated T cells (LAT), Akt, and the three MAP kinases, ERK, p38, and JNK, were suppressed. Mechanistic studies showed that 4μ8C inhibited the activity of Lyn and Fyn in vitro. Based on the results of those experiments, the suppressor mechanism of allergic reaction by 4μ8C involved reduced activity of Lyn and Fyn, which is pivotal in an IgE-mediated signaling pathway. In summary, for the first time, this study shows that 4μ8C inhibits Lyn and Fyn, thus suppressing allergic reaction by reducing the degranulation and the production of inflammatory cytokines. This suggests that 4μ8C can be used as a new medicinal candidate to control allergic diseases such as seasonal allergies and atopic dermatitis. - Highlights: • Anti-allergic effect of 8-formyl-7-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin, 4μ8C, was investigated in vitro and in vivo. • 4μ8C reversibly inhibited the degranulation of mast cells by antigen. • 4μ8C suppressed passive cutaneous anaphylaxis (PCA) in mice. • The anti-allergic effect of 4μ8C was mediated by inhibition of Lyn and Fyn in mast cells.
60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
Activity-induced migration of viscous droplets on a solid substrate
Active matter exploits motion to induce changes in shape and conformation via external input. Here, in this paper, we establish theoretically that viscous liquid droplets containing magnetic nanoparticles with frozen-in magnetic moments, sitting on a solid substrate and surrounded by an ambient gas phase, can deform and migrate under the influence of a magnetic torque. The effect arises because the collective rotation of the magnetic nanoparticles at the liquid–gas interface tilts the droplet away from a symmetric configuration, breaks the reflection symmetry with respect to the centre axis, and leads to a left–right asymmetry of the contact angles. A sufficiently strong magnetic torque leads the contact angles to overcome hysteresis effects leading the droplet to migrate. We develop a general framework to explain how symmetry-breaking affects droplet migration. Thus previous results of droplet spreading and migration can be recovered as special cases. Such droplets can be employed as agents in active surfaces and can move against gravity, chemical and thermal gradients, providing a mechanism that could be utilized by both industry and medicine.
Aggarwal, A.↗
Quantitative Analysis of the Morphology of {101} and {001} Faceted Anatase TiO 2 Nanocrystals and Its Implication on Photocatalytic Activity
The atomistic structure and morphology (shape and size) of nanomaterials have strong influences on their physical and chemical properties. However, many characterization techniques focus exclusively on one length-scale regime or another when developing quantitative morphology/structural models. In this article, we demonstrate that powder X-ray diffraction and neutron pair distribution function (PDF) can be used to obtain accurate average morphology and atomistic structure of {001} and {101} faceted anatase TiO 2 nanocrystals based on differential evolution refinements using Debye scattering equation calculations. It is also demonstrated that the morphology polydispersity of TiO 2 nanocrystals can be effectively obtained from the diffraction data via a numerical refinement routine. The morphology refinement results are in good agreement with those from transmission electron microscopy and the modeling of small angle neutron scattering data. This method is successfully used to quantify the facet-specified photocatalytic hydrogen evolution activity of anatase TiO 2 nanocrystals with different {001} to {101} ratios. It is found that the sample with an intermediate amount of both {001} and {101} facets shows the best photocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) activity. It is expected that the simultaneous structure and morphology refinement technique can be generally used to study the relationship between morphology and functionality of nanomaterials.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Discovery of 1-(3,3-Dimethylbutyl)-3-(2-fluoro-4-methyl-5-(7-methyl-2-(methylamino)pyrido[2,3- d ]pyrimidin-6-yl)phenyl)urea (LY3009120) as a Pan-RAF Inhibitor with Minimal Paradoxical Activation and Activity against BRAF or RAS Mutant Tumor Cells
The RAS-RAF-MEK-MAPK cascade is an essential signaling pathway, with activation typically mediated through cell surface receptors. The kinase inhibitors vemurafenib and dabrafenib, which target oncogenic BRAF V600E, have demonstrated significant clinical efficacy in melanoma patients harboring this mutation. Because of paradoxical pathway activation, both agents were demonstrated to promote growth and metastasis of tumor cells with RAS mutations in preclinical models and are contraindicated for treatment of cancer patients with BRAF WT background, including patients with KRAS or NRAS mutations. In order to eliminate the issues associated with paradoxical MAPK pathway activation and to provide therapeutic benefit to patients with RAS mutant cancers, we sought to identify a compound not only active against BRAF V600E but also wild type BRAF and CRAF. On the basis of its superior in vitro and in vivo profile, compound 13 was selected for further development and is currently being evaluated in phase I clinical studies.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Enhanced CO 2 Methanation Activity of Sm 0.25 Ce 0.75 O 2-δ –Ni by Modulating the Chelating Agents-to-Metal Cation Ratio and Tuning Metal–Support Interactions
Highly active and selective CO 2 methanation catalysts are critical to CO 2 upgrading, synthetic natural gas production, and CO 2 emission reduction. Wet impregnation is widely used to synthesize oxide-supported metallic nanoparticles as the catalyst for CO 2 methanation. However, as the reagents cannot be homogeneously mixed at an atomic level, it is challenging to modulate the microstructure, crystal structure, chemical composition, and electronic structure of catalysts via wet impregnation. In this work, a scalable and straightforward catalyst fabrication approach has been designed and validated to produce Sm 0.25 Ce 0.75 O 2-δ -supported Ni (SDC–Ni) as the CO 2 methanation catalyst. By varying the chelating agents-to-total metal cations ratio (C/I ratio) during the catalyst synthesis, we can readily and simultaneously modulate the microstructure, metallic surface area, crystal structure, chemical composition, and electronic structure of SDC–Ni, consequently fine-tuning the oxide–support interactions and CO 2 methanation activity. The optimal C/I ratio (0.1) leads to an SDC–Ni catalyst that facilitates C–O bond cleavage and significantly improves CO 2 conversion at 250 °C. A CO 2 -to-CH 4 yield of >73% has been achieved at 250 °C. Furthermore, a stable operation of >1500 hours has been demonstrated, and no degradation is observed. Extensive characterizations were performed to fundamentally understand how to tune and enhance CO 2 methanation activity of SDC–Ni by modulating the C/I ratio. The correlation of physical, chemical, and catalytic properties of SDC–Ni with the C/I ratio is established and thoroughly elaborated in this work. This study could be applied to tune the oxide–support interactions of various catalysts for enhancing the catalytic activity.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Identifying Boron Active Sites for the Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Propane
Oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODHP) to propylene could have a significant impact on the production of this critical chemical intermediate, if appropriate catalysts can be discovered. Recently, heterogeneous catalysts based on boron (oxides and nitrides) have been demonstrated to be promising for ODHP, but their active sites have not been conclusively identified. Here, we report that the deposition of differently sized boronic acids into the micropores of silica supports results in different distributions of surface borate species after calcination. Furthermore, these materials, in turn, display a wide range of rates in ODHP but similar selectivity, suggesting that they differ only in the numbers of active sites. Features identified by in situ Raman, IR, and magic-angle-spinning 11 B solid-state NMR spectroscopies are compared to catalyst activity. This correlation identifies the S2 borate species, a hydroxylated nonring boron, as the likely active site and provides a target for directed syntheses of future catalysts.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Identification of 2-Hydroxyacyl-CoA Synthases with High Acyloin Condensation Activity for Orthogonal One-Carbon Bioconversion
One-carbon (C1) compounds are emerging as cost-effective and potentially carbon-negative feedstocks for biomanufacturing, which require efficient, versatile metabolic platforms for the synthesis of value-added products. Synthetic formyl-CoA elongation (FORCE) pathways allow diverse product synthesis from C1 compounds via iterative C1 elongation, operating independently from the host metabolism with reduced engineering complexity and improved theoretical yields. However, a major bottleneck was identified as the suboptimal kinetics of the core C1–C1 condensation enzyme, 2-hydroxyacyl-CoA synthase (HACS), catalyzing the acyloin condensation reaction between formaldehyde and formyl-CoA. Furthermore, we used a combinatorial approach of bioprospecting and rational protein engineering to identify multiple HACS variants with significantly improved activities toward C1 substrates. Sequence and structure alignment of the active variants elucidated the key regions for the catalytic function, which were targeted for mutagenesis, leading to improved catalytic efficiency. In parallel, a consecutive round of bioprospecting for homologs with high similarity with active variants revealed a highly active HACS variant exhibiting up to 7-fold improvement in catalytic efficiency (k cat /K M ) and 14-fold improvement in the FORCE pathway flux in vivo compared to the previous reports. Upon further optimization of the downstream pathway, the orthogonal C1-to-product bioconversion system showed a metabolic flux of up to 700 μM glycolate OD –1 h –1 (2.1 mmol gDCW –1 h –1 ) and an industrially relevant glycolate titer, rate, and yield of 5.2 g L –1 (67.8 mM), 0.22 g L –1 h –1 , and 94% carbon yield, respectively.
2-hydroxyacyl-CoA synthase↗
An Investigation into the Effects of Mn Promotion on the Activity and Selectivity of Co/SiO 2 for Fischer - Tropsch Synthesis: Evidence for Enhanced CO Adsorption and Dissociation
Mn is an effective promoter for improving the activity and selectivity of Co-based Fischer-Tropsch synthesis (FTS) catalysts, but the mechanism by which this promoter functions is poorly understood. The work reported here was aimed at defining the manner in which Mn interacts with Co and determining how these interactions affect the activity and selectivity of Co. Detailed measurements are reported for the kinetics of FTS as a function of Mn/Co ratio, temperature, and reactant partial pressure. These data are described by a single, two-parameter rate expression. Mn promotion was found to increase both the apparent rate constant for CO consumption and the CO adsorption constant. Further evidence for enhanced CO adsorption and dissociation was obtained from measurements of temperature-programmed desorption of CO and CO disproportionation rates, respectively. Our quantitative analysis of elemental maps obtained by STEM-EDS revealed that the promoter accumulates preferentially on the surface of Co nanoparticles at low Mn loadings, resulting in a rapid onset of improvements in the product selectivity as the Mn loading increases. For catalysts prepared with loadings higher than Mn/Co = 0.1, the additional Mn accumulates in the form of nanometer-scale particles of MnO on the support. In situ IR spectra of adsorbed CO show that Mn promotion increases the abundance of adsorbed CO with weakened C-O bonds. Furthermore, it is proposed that the cleavage of the C-O bond is promoted through Lewis acid-base interactions between the Mn 2+ cations located at the edges of MnO islands covering the Co nanoparticles and the O atom of CO adsorbates adjacent to the MnO islands. The observed decrease in selectivity to CH 4 and the increased selectivity to C 5+ products with increasing Mn/Co ratio are attributed to a decrease in the ratio of adsorbed H to CO on the surface of the supported Co nanoparticles.
Johnson, Gregory R.↗
Active Role of Phosphorus in the Hydrogen Evolving Activity of Nickel Phosphide (0001) Surfaces
Optimizing catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) is a critical step toward the efficient production of H 2 (g) fuel from water. It has been demonstrated experimentally that transition-metal phosphides, specifically nickel phosphides Ni 2 P and Ni 5 P 4 , efficiently catalyze the HER at a small fraction of the cost of archetypal Pt-based electrocatalysts. However, the HER mechanism on nickel phosphides remains unclear. We explore, through density functional theory with thermodynamics, the aqueous reconstructions of Ni 2 P(0001) and Ni 5 P 4 (0001)/(000$ \overline{1}\ $), and we find that the surface P content on Ni 2 P(0001) depends on the applied potential, which has not been considered previously. At -0.21 V ≥ U ≥ -0.36 V versus the standard hydrogen electrode and pH = 0, a PH x -enriched Ni 3 P 2 termination of Ni 2 P(0001) is found to be most stable, consistent with its P-rich ultrahigh-vacuum reconstructions. Above and below this potential range, the stoichiometric Ni 3 P 2 surface is instead passivated by H at the Ni 3 -hollow sites. On the other hand, Ni 5 P 4 (000$ \overline{1}\ $) does not favor additional P. Instead, the Ni 4 P 3 bulk termination of Ni 5 P 4 (000$ \overline{1}\ $) is passivated by H at both the Ni 3 and P3-hollow sites. We also found that the most HER-active surfaces are Ni 3 P 2 +P+(7/3)H of Ni 2 P(0001) and Ni 4 P 3 +4H of Ni 5 P 4 (000$ \overline{1}\ $) due to weak H adsorption at P catalytic sites, in contrast with other computational investigations that propose Ni as or part of the active site. By looking at viable catalytic cycles for HER on the stable reconstructed surfaces, and calculating the reaction free energies of the associated elementary steps, we calculate that the overpotential on the Ni 4 P 3 +4H surface of Ni 5 P 4 (000$ \overline{1}\ $) (-0.16 V) is lower than that of the Ni 3 P 2 +P+(7/3)H surface of Ni 2 P(0001) (-0.21 V). This is due to the abundance of P 3 -hollow sites on Ni 5 P 4 and the limited surface stability of the P-enriched Ni 2 P(0001) surface phase. The trend in the calculated catalytic overpotentials, and the potential-dependent bulk and surface stabilities explain why the nickel phosphides studied here perform almost as well as Pt, and why Ni 5 P 4 is more active than Ni 2 P toward HER, as is found in the experimental literature. This study emphasizes the importance of considering aqueous surface stability in predicting the HER-active sites, mechanism, and overpotential, and highlights the primary role of P in HER catalysis on transition-metal phosphides.
08 HYDROGEN↗
Introducing Nonstructural Ligands to Zirconia-like Metal–Organic Framework Nodes To Tune the Activity of Node-Supported Nickel Catalysts for Ethylene Hydrogenation [Introducing Nonstructural Ligands to Zirconia-like MOF Nodes To Tune the Activity of Node-Supported Nickel Catalysts for Ethylene Hydrogenation]
Previous work has shown that introduction of hexafluoroacetylacetone (Facac) units as nonstructural ligands for the zirconia-like nodes of the eight-connected metal-organic framework (MOF), NU-1000, greatly alters the selectivity of node-supported oxy-nickel clusters for ethylene dimerization vs oligomerization. Here we i explore a related concept: tuning of support/catalyst interactions, and therefore, catalyst activity, via parallel installation of organic modifiers on the support itself. As modifiers we focused on para-substituted benzoates (R-BA – ; R = -NH 2 , -OCH 3 , -CH 3 , -H, -F, and -NO 2 ) where the substituents were chosen to present similar steric demand, but varying electron-donating or electron-withdrawing properties. R-benzoate-engendered shifts in the node-based aqua O-H stretching frequency for NU-1000, as measured by DRIFTS (diffuse-reflectance infrared Fourier-transform spectroscopy), together with systematic shifts in Ni 2p peak energies, as measured by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, show that the electronic properties of the support can be modulated. The vibrational and electronic peak shifts correlate with the putative electron-withdrawing vs electron-donating strength of the para-substituted benzoate modifiers. Subsequent installation of node-supported, oxy-Ni(II) clusters for ethylene hydrogenation yield a compelling correlation between log (catalyst turnover frequency) and the electron donating or withdrawing character of the substituent of the benzoate units. Single crystal X-ray diffraction measurements reveal that each organic modifier makes use of only one of two available carboxylate oxygens to accomplish grafting. The remaining oxygen atom is, in principle, well positioned to coordinate directly to an installed Ni(II) ion. We postulate that the unanticipated direct coordination of the catalyst by the node-modifier (rather than indirect modifier-based tuning of support(node)/catalyst electronic interactions) is the primary source of the observed systematic tuning of hydrogenation activity. Here we suggest, however, that regardless of mechanism for communication with active-sites of MOF-supported catalysts, intentional elaboration of nodes via grafted, nonstructural organic species could prove to be a valuable general strategy for fine-tuning supported-catalyst activity and/or selectivity.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
A Redox-Active, Compact Molecule for Cross-Linking Amyloidogenic Peptides into Nontoxic, Off-Pathway Aggregates: In Vitro and In Vivo Efficacy and Molecular Mechanisms
Chemical reagents targeting and controlling amyloidogenic peptides have received much attention for helping identify their roles in the pathogenesis of protein-misfolding disorders. Herein, we report a novel strategy for redirecting amyloidogenic peptides into nontoxic, off-pathway aggregates, which utilizes redox properties of a small molecule (DMPD, N,N-dimethyl-p-phenylenediamine) to trigger covalent adduct formation with the peptide. In addition, for the first time, biochemical, biophysical, and molecular dynamics simulation studies have been performed to demonstrate a mechanistic understanding for such an interaction between a small molecule (DMPD) and amyloid-β (Aβ) and its subsequent anti-amyloidogenic activity, which, upon its transformation, generates ligand–peptide adducts via primary amine-dependent intramolecular cross-linking correlated with structural compaction. Furthermore, in vivo efficacy of DMPD toward amyloid pathology and cognitive impairment was evaluated employing 5xFAD mice of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Such a small molecule (DMPD) is indicated to noticeably reduce the overall cerebral amyloid load of soluble Aβ forms and amyloid deposits as well as significantly improve cognitive defects in the AD mouse model. Overall, our in vitro and in vivo studies of DMPD toward Aβ with the first molecular-level mechanistic investigations present the feasibility of developing new, innovative approaches that employ redox-active compounds without the structural complexity as next-generation chemical tools for amyloid management.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Structure of the Photo-catalytically Active Surface of SrTiO 3
A major goal of energy research is to use visible light to cleave water directly, without an applied voltage, into hydrogen and oxygen. Although SrTiO 3 requires ultraviolet light, after four decades, it is still the "gold standard" for the photo-catalytic splitting of water. It is chemically robust and can carry out both hydrogen and oxygen evolution reactions without an applied bias. While ultrahigh vacuum surface science techniques have provided useful insights, we still know relatively little about the structure of these electrodes in contact with electrolytes under operating conditions. Here, we report the surface structure evolution of a n-SrTiO 3 electrode during water splitting, before and after "training" with an applied positive bias. Operando high-energy X-ray reflectivity measurements demonstrate that training the electrode irreversibly reorders the surface. Scanning electrochemical microscopy at open circuit correlates this training with a 3-fold increase of the activity toward the photo-induced water splitting. A novel first-principles joint density functional theory simulation, constrained to the X-ray data via a generalized penalty function, identifies an anatase-like structure as the more active, trained surface.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
Rational Design of Mononuclear Iron Porphyrins for Facile and Selective 4e-/4H+ O2 Reduction: Activation of O-O Bond by 2nd Sphere Hydrogen Bonding
Facile and selective 4e-/4H+ electrochemical reduction of O2 to H2O in aqueous medium has been a sought-after goal for several decades. Elegant but synthetically demanding cytochrome c oxidase mimics have demonstrated selective 4e-/4H+ electrochemical O2 reduction to H2O is possible with rate constants as fast as 105 M-1 s-1 under heterogeneous conditions in aqueous media. Over the past few years, in situ mechanistic investigations on iron porphyrin complexes adsorbed on electrodes have revealed that the rate and selectivity of this multielectron and multiproton process is governed by the reactivity of a ferric hydroperoxide intermediate. The barrier of O-O bond cleavage determines the overall rate of O2 reduction and the site of protonation determines the selectivity. In this report, a series of mononuclear iron porphyrin complexes are rationally designed to achieve efficient O-O bond activation and site-selective proton transfer to effect facile and selective electrochemical reduction of O2 to water. Indeed, these crystallographically characterized complexes accomplish facile and selective reduction of O2 with rate constants >107 M-1 s-1 while retaining >95% selectivity when adsorbed on electrode surfaces (EPG) in water. These oxygen reduction reaction rate constants are 2 orders of magnitude faster than all known heme/Cu complexes and these complexes retain >90% selectivity even under rate determining electron transfer conditions that generally can only be achieved by installing additional redox active groups in the catalyst.
Bhunia, Sarmistha↗
Balancing activity, stability and conductivity of nanoporous core-shell iridium/iridium oxide oxygen evolution catalysts [Balancing activity, stability and conductivity of nanoporous core-shell Ir/IrO 2 oxygen evolution catalysts]
The selection of oxide materials for catalyzing the Oxygen Evolution Reaction in acid-based electrolyzers must be guided by the proper balance between activity, stability and conductivity – a challenging mission of great importance for delivering affordable and environmentally friendly hydrogen. Here we report that the highly conductive nanoporous architecture of an iridium oxide shell on a metallic iridium core, formed through the fast dealloying of osmium from an Ir 25 Os 75 alloy, exhibits an exceptional balance between oxygen evolution activity and stability as quantified by the Activity-Stability FactorASF. Based on this metric, the nanoporous Ir/IrO 2 morphology of dealloyed Ir 25 Os 75 shows a factor of ~30 improvement ASFrelative to conventional Ir-based oxide materials and a ~8 times improvement over dealloyed Ir 25 Os 75 nanoparticles due to optimized stability and conductivity, respectively. Here, we propose that the Activity-Stability FactorASF is the key “metric” for determining the technological relevance of oxide-based anodic water electrolyzer catalysts.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Tuning the thermal activation atmosphere breaks the activity–stability trade-off of Fe–N–C oxygen reduction fuel cell catalysts
Fe–N–C catalysts are the most promising platinum group metal-free oxygen-reduction catalysts, but they suffer from a low density of active metal sites and the so-called activity–stability trade-off. Here we report an Fe–N–C catalyst prepared by adding an optimal amount of H 2 to the traditional inert atmosphere during the thermal activation. The presence of H 2 significantly increases the total density of FeN 4 sites, suppressing the unstable pyrrolic-N-coordinated S1 sites and favouring the stable pyridinic-N-coordinated S2 sites with shortened Fe–N bond lengths. Here, we propose that the intrinsically stable S2 sites are probably arranged in well-graphitized carbon layers, and the S1 sites exist in less-graphitized carbon. H 2 could remove unstable S1 sites and retain stable S2 sites during the pyrolysis to break the challenging activity–stability trade-off. The Fe–N–C catalyst in membrane electrode assemblies maintains a current density of 67 mA cm -2 at 0.8 V (H 2 –air) after 30,000 voltage cycles (0.60 to 0.95 V under H 2 –air), achieving encouraging durability and performance simultaneously.
25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
Organometallic model complexes elucidate the active gallium species in alkane dehydrogenation catalysts based on ligand effects in Ga K-edge XANES
Gallium-modified zeolites are known catalysts for the dehydrogenation of alkanes, reactivity that finds industrial application in the aromatization of light alkanes by Ga-ZSM5. While the role of gallium cations in alkane activation is well known, the oxidation state and coordination environment of gallium under reaction conditions has been the subject of debate. Edge shifts in Ga K-edge XANES spectra acquired under reaction conditions have long been interpreted as evidence for reduction of Ga(III) to Ga(I). However, a change in oxidation state is not the only factor that can give rise to a change in the XANES spectrum. In order to better understand the XANES spectra of working catalysts, we have synthesized a series of molecular model compounds and grafted surface organometallic Ga species and compared their XANES spectra to those of gallium-based catalysts acquired under reducing conditions. We demonstrate that changes in the identity and number of gallium nearest neighbors can give rise to changes in XANES spectra similar to those attributed in literature to changes in oxidation state. Specifically, spectral features previously attributed to Ga(I) may be equally well interpreted as evidence for low-coordinate Ga(III) alkyl or hydride species. Furthermore, these findings apply both to gallium-impregnated zeolite catalysts and to silica-supported single site gallium catalysts, the latter of which is found to be active and selective for dehydrogenation of propane and hydrogenation of propylene.
37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
Boosting the activity of transition metal carbides towards methane activation by nanostructuring
The interaction of methane with pristine surfaces of bulk MoC and Mo 2 C is known to be weak. In contrast, a series of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) experiments, combined with thermal desorption mass spectroscopy (TDS), for MoC y (y = 0.5–1.3) nanoparticles supported on Au(111)—which is completely inert towards CH 4 —show that these systems adsorb and dissociate CH 4 at room temperature and low CH 4 partial pressure. This industrially-relevant finding has been further investigated with accurate density functional theory (DFT) based calculations on a variety of MoC y supported model systems. The DFT calculations reveal that the MoC y /Au(111) systems can feature low C–H bond scission energy barriers, smaller than the CH 4 adsorption energy. Our theoretical results for bulk surfaces of Mo 2 C and MoC show that a simple Brønsted–Evans–Polanyi (BEP) relationship holds for C–H bond scission on these systems. However, this is not the case for methane activation on the MoC y nanoparticles as a consequence of their unique electronic and chemical properties. Finally, the discovery that supported molybdenum carbide nanoparticles are able to activate methane at room temperature paves the road towards the design of a new family of active carbide catalysts for methane activation and valorisation, with important implications in climate change mitigation and carbon cycle closure.
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗