Benzene Oxidation in Air by an Amine-Functionalized Metal–Organic Framework-Derived Carbon- and Nitrogen-Loaded Zirconium Dioxide-Supported Platinum Catalyst

To learn more about the behavior of amine (NH2)-functionalized metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived noble metal catalysts in the removal of aromatic volatile organic compounds in air, benzene oxidation at low temperatures has been investigated using 0.2-, 0.8-, and 1.5%-platinum (Pt)/Universitetet i Oslo (UiO)-66-NH2. The benzene conversion (XB) of x%-Pt/UiO-66-NH2-R under dry conditions (175 °C) was 23% (x = 0.2%) < 52% (x = 0.8%) < 100% (x = 1.5%): 'R' suffix denotes reduction pretreatment using a hydrogen (10 vol %) and nitrogen mixture at 300 °C for the generation of metallic Pt (Pt0) sites and simultaneous partial MOF decomposition into carbon- and nitrogen-loaded zirconium dioxide. The prominent role of reduction pretreatment was apparent in benzene oxidation as 1.5%-Pt/UiO-66-NH2 did not exhibit catalytic activity below 175 °C (dry condition). The promotional role of moisture in benzene oxidation by 1.5%-Pt/UiO-66-NH2-R was evident with a rise in the steady-state reaction rate (r) at 110 °C (21 kPa molecular oxygen (O2)) from 1.3 × 10-3 to 5.0 × 10-3 μmol g-1 s-1 as the water (H2O) partial pressure increased from 0 to 1.88 kPa. In contrast, the activity was lowered with increasing RH due to catalyst poisoning by excess moisture (r (110 °C) of 6.6 × 10-04 μmol g-1 s-1 at 2.83 kPa H2O (21 kPa O2)). Kinetic modeling suggests that XB proceeds through the Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism on the Pt/UiO-66-NH2-R surface (dissociative O2 chemisorption and the involvement of two oxygen species in benzene oxidation). According to the density functional theory simulation, the carbon and nitrogen impurities are to make the first XB step (i.e., hydrogen migration from the benzene molecule to the substrate) energetically favorable. The second hydrogen atom from the benzene molecule is also extracted effectively, while the oxygen derived from O2 facilitates further XB. The Pt0 sites dissociate the O2 and H2O molecules, while the product of the latter, i.e., free hydrogen and hydroxyl, makes the subsequent XB steps energetically favorable.