In situ aberration corrected-transmission electron microscopy of magnesium oxide nanocatalysts for biodiesels

Gai, Pratibha L., Montero, Janine M., Lee, Adam Fraser, Wilson, Karen and Boyes, Edward D. 2009. In situ aberration corrected-transmission electron microscopy of magnesium oxide nanocatalysts for biodiesels. Catalysis Letters 132 (1-2) , pp. 182-188. 10.1007/s10562-009-0085-x

Full text not available from this repository.

Abstract

Biofuels are promising renewable energy sources and can be derived from vegetable oil feedstocks. Although solid catalysts show great promise in plant oil triglyceride transesterification to biodiesel, the identification of active sites and operating surface nanostructures created during their processing is essential for the development of efficient heterogeneous catalysts. Systematic, direct observations of dynamic MgO nanocatalysts from a magnesium hydroxide-methoxide precursor were performed under controlled calcination conditions using novel in situ aberration corrected-transmission electron microscopy at the 0.1 nm level and quantified with catalytic reactivity and physico-chemical studies. Surface structural modifications and the evolution of extended atomic scale glide defects implicate coplanar anion vacancies in active sites in the transesterification of triglycerides to biodiesel. The linear correlation between surface defect density (and therefore polarisability) and activity affords a simple means to fine tune new, energy efficient nanocatalysts for biofuel synthesis.

Item Type:	Article
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	Published
Schools:	Chemistry Cardiff Catalysis Institute (CCI)
Subjects:	Q Science > QD Chemistry
Publisher:	Springer
ISSN:	1011-372X
Last Modified:	19 Mar 2016 22:41
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/23847

Citation Data

Cited 20 times in Scopus. View in Scopus. Powered By Scopus® Data

Actions (repository staff only)

Edit Item