Enrique Iglesia

Acid and Redox Catalysis on Oxide Nanostructures

The redox and acid-base behaviour of supported oxides change markedly as their locak structure and electronic properties vary with domain size. The turnover rate and selectivity of catalytic reactions on oxide surfaces also depend on the size of these domains, as they evolve from isolated cations into disordered clusters and finally into crystals with bulk-like properties. This evolution in domain size provides a continous spectrum of catalytic behaviour and of site structures, as well as reaction chemistries often unavailable on the surfaces of bulk oxides. Acid catalysis on supported WO3 domains and alkane reactions on supported V205 and MoO3 domains and on isolated cations within microporous solids are usead as examples of the remarkable catalytic diversity introduced by the range of surface structures and electronic properties available on these oxide nanostructures. These examples also illustrate the significant structural and mechanistic characterization challenges imposed by the reactive and disordered and nature of these small oxide domains

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