The nature of the molybdenum surface in iron molybdate. The active phase in selective methanol oxidation

Brookes, C. et al. (2014) The nature of the molybdenum surface in iron molybdate. The active phase in selective methanol oxidation. Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 118(45), pp. 26155-26161. (doi: 10.1021/jp5081753)

Abstract

The surface structure of iron molybdate is of great significance since this is the industrial catalyst for the direct selective oxidation of methanol to formaldehyde. There is a debate concerning whether Fe2(MoO4)3 acts as a benign support for segregated MoO3 or if there is an intrinsic property of the surface structure which facilitates its high catalytic efficacy. This study provides new insights into the structure of this catalyst, identifying a bound terminating layer of octahedral Mo units as the active and selective phase. Here we examine whether only 1 monolayer of Mo on iron oxide alone is efficacious for this reaction. For a 1 ML MoOx shell–Fe2O3 core catalyst the Mo remains at the surface under all calcination procedures while exhibiting high selectivity and activity. The work highlights how catalyst surfaces are significantly different from bulk structures and this difference is crucial for catalyst performance.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Gibson, Dr Emma
• Authors: Brookes, C., Wells, P. P., Dimitratos, N., Jones, W., Gibson, E. K., Morgan, D. J., Cibin, G., Nicklin, C., Mora-Fonz, D., Scanlon, D. O., Catlow, C.R.A., and Bowker, M.
• College/School: College of Science and Engineering > School of Chemistry
• Journal Name: Journal of Physical Chemistry C
• Publisher: American Chemical Society
• ISSN: 1932-7447
• ISSN (Online): 1932-7455
• Published Online: 16 October 2014
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2014 American Chemical Society
• First Published: First published in Journal of Physical Chemistry C 118(45):26155-26161
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License