Operando Reactor for Fundamental Investigations of Peroxide Mediated Epoxidation and Oxidation Reactions
Abstract
We propose to construct an in operando reactor to study epoxidation and oxidation catalysis on heterogeneous metal oxide and zeolite catalysts. In short, the reactor unit will couple facilities for rapid scan FTIR, Raman, and UV-vis spectroscopy of reactive intermediates that form during activation of H2O2 and organic peroxides (e.g., tert-butyl peroxide) with simultaneous measurements of product formation rates by gas chromatography (and mass spectrometry when needed) on group 4 -6 metal centers in zeolite frameworks and dispersed on mesoporous oxide surfaces. The unique research capabilities that this equipment will provide will greatly accelerate our current research and research-related education funded by the Army Research Office. The apparatus will allow us to (1) make faster progress on the experimental plan previously proposed; (2) broaden the scope and impact of the work by enabling reactions at the vapor-solid interface to decouple the influence of solvents; (3) collect more precise and accurate spectroscopic measurements of surface reactions; (4) expand the scope of substrates to include gaseous alkenes (not compatible with our current reactors); (5) and avoid leaching processes that degrade certain catalysts (e.g., Mo-based materials) rapidly in liquid solvents. The proposed apparatus would be an excellent addition for our ongoing ARO studies and it will interface with our existing apparatus (e.g., Renishaw inVia Raman spectrometer with fiber optic probe, Avantes fiber optic UV-Vis spectrometer, and Pfeiffer Thermostar mass spectrometer) and infrastructure very well.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jun 10, 2019
- Source ID
- W911NF1910319
Entities
People
- David W Flaherty
Organizations
- Army Contracting Command
- United States Army
- University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign