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[EN] The development of energetically efficient processes for the aqueous reduction of biomass-derived compounds into chemicals is key for the optimal transformation of biomass. Herein we report an early example of the reduction of biomass-derived oxygenated compounds in water by magnetically induced catalysis. Non-coated and carbon-coated core-shell FeCo@Ni magnetic nanoparticles were used as the heating agent and the catalyst simultaneously. In this way it was possible to control the product distribution by adjusting the field amplitude applied during the magnetic catalysis, opening a precedent for this type of catalysis. Finally, the encapsulation of the magnetic nanoparticles in carbon (FeCo@Ni@C) strongly improved the stability of the magnetic catalyst in solution, making its reuse possible up to at least eight times in dioxane and four times in water.

[EN] Computer-assistance allows selecting the most adequate low-cost organic structure directing agents (OSDAs) for the crystallization of Al-rich CHA-type zeolites. The host-guest stabilization energies of tetraethylammonium (TEA), methyltriethylammonium (MTEA) and dimethyldiethylammonium (DMDEA), in combination with Na, were first theoretically evaluated. This "ab-initio" analysis reveals that two TEA show a serious steric hindrance in a cha cavity, whereas two MTEA would present excellent host-guest confinements. The synthesis of Al-rich CHA-type zeolites has been accomplished using TEA and MTEA. Electron diffraction and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy reveal large CHA-domains with narrow faulted GME-domains in the CHAtype material synthesized with TEA, confirming the better OSDA-directing roles of MTEA cations towards the cha cavity, in good agreement with DFT calculations. Cu-exchanged Al-rich CHA-type samples achieved with MTEA and TEA show excellent catalytic activity and hydrothermal stability for the selective catalytic reduction (SCR) of NOx with ammonia under conditions relevant for future heavy duty diesel conditions.

[ES] La presente tesis doctoral se enmarca en el ámbito de la Química Sostenible, en el cual se identifica la catálisis como una de las herramientas más importantes para su aplicación. En este sentido, en esta tesis doctoral, se han desarrollado catalizadores de cobalto para llevar a cabo reacciones de interés industrial o relacionadas con las tecnologías energéticas emergentes a través de la activación de moléculas pequeñas. Estas reacciones se llevan a cabo a nivel industrial con catalizadores basados en metales nobles o en condiciones de reacción severas. El objetivo es reemplazar estos catalizadores por otros basados en metales más abundantes en la corteza terrestre, en este caso el cobalto, o llevar a cabo las reacciones en condiciones de reacción más suaves, respectivamente, estudiando en todo caso la relación entre la estructura y la actividad del catalizador. Los resultados de esta tesis doctoral se presentan en cuatro capítulos. En el capítulo cuatro, se presentan los resultados del desarrollo de catalizadores de cobalto estables al aire y a la humedad basados en compuestos de coordinación para llevar a cabo la hidrosililación de alquenos sin aditivos y evitando el uso de atmósfera inerte durante la reacción. Además, se ha estudiado la actividad de estos catalizadores usando un amplio rango tanto de alquenos como de silanos para comprobar la generalidad de la reacción. Finalmente, se ha estudiado el mecanismo de reacción usando Raman in-situ, lo cual ha permitido identificar la especie de cobalto activa como intermedio de reacción. En el capítulo cinco, uno de los compuestos de coordinación estudiados para el proceso de hidrosililación de alquenos, se ha heterogeneizado usando como soporte un carbón activo de alta área superficial. La presencia de 6 nitrógenos coordinados al cobalto en el precursor inicial ha sido clave en la formación del material final, que es altamente activo y selectivo en la reacción de hidrogenación de nitroarenos y en la síntesis de, [CA] La present tesi doctoral s'emmarca en l'àmbit de la Química Sostenible, en el qual s'identifica la catàlisi com una de les eines més importants per a la seua aplicació. En aquest sentit, en aquesta tesi doctoral, s'han desenvolupat catalitzadors de cobalt per a dur a terme reaccions d'interés industrial o relacionades amb les tecnologies energètiques emergents a través de l'activació de molècules xicotetes. Aquestes reaccions es duen a terme a nivell industrial amb catalitzadors basats en metalls nobles o en condicions de reacció severes. L'objectiu és reemplaçar aquests catalitzadors per altres basats en metalls més abundants en l'escorça terrestre, en aquest cas el cobalt, o dur a terme les reaccions en condicions de reacció més suaus, respectivament, estudiant en tot cas la relació entre l'estructura i l'activitat del catalitzador. Els resultats d'aquesta tesi doctoral es presenten en quatre capítols. En el quart capítol, es presenten els resultats del desenvolupament de catalitzadors de cobalt estables a l'aire i a la humitat basats en compostos de coordinació per a dur a terme la hidrosililació d'alquens sense additius i evitant l'ús d'atmosfera inerta durant la reacció. A més, s'ha estudiat l'activitat d'aquests catalitzadors usant un ampli rang tant d'alquens com de silanes per a comprovar la generalitat de la reacció. Finalment, s'ha estudiat el mecanisme de reacció usant Raman in-situ, la qual cosa ha permés identificar l'espècie de cobalt activa com a intermedi de reacció. En el quint capítol, un dels compostos de coordinació estudiats per al procés de hidrosililació d'alquens, s'ha heterogeneït usant com a suport un carbó actiu d'alta àrea. La presència de 6 nitrògens coordinats al cobalt en el precursor inicial ha sigut clau en la formació del material final, que és altament actiu i selectiu en la reacció d'hidrogenació de nitroarenos i en la síntesi d'amines secundàries i de isoindolinons en reaccions tàndem en condicions de reacció més suaus que l, [EN] This thesis is focused on the field of Green Chemistry, in which catalysis is identified as one of the most important tools for its application. In this sense, in this thesis, cobalt catalysts were developed to carry out reactions of industrial interest or related to emerging energy technologies, through the activation of small molecules. These reactions are usually performed at industrial scale with catalysts based on noble metals or under severe reaction conditions. The main objective of this thesis is to replace these catalysts by others based on more abundant metals in the earth's crust, in this case cobalt, or to carry out the reactions in milder reaction conditions, respectively, studying in each case the relationship between the structure and the activity of the catalyst. The results of this thesis are presented in four chapters. In the first chapter, the results for the catalytic hydrosilylation of alkenes under aerobic conditions and without dry solvents or additives are presented, where the development of air-stable cobalt-aquo complexes is pivotal. In fact, this is the first case where these reactions are performed under aerobic conditions with first-row transition metal complexes. In addition, the activity of these catalysts has been studied using a wide range of both alkenes and silanes to check the scope of the reaction. Finally, the reaction mechanism has been studied using in-situ Raman, which has allowed the identification of the active cobalt species as a reaction intermediate. In the second chapter, one of the coordination compounds studied for the alkene hydrosilylation process has been heterogenized using an activated carbon with high area as support. The employment of a suitable molecular complex consisting of six bounds N-Co as initial precursor has been key in the formation of the final material. This catalyst has demonstrated to be highly active and selective in the hydrogenation of nitroarenes and in the synthesis of secondary amines a

[ES] En este trabajo de tesis doctoral, la investigación se ha centrado en el desarrollo de diferentes procesos catalíticos heterogéneos empleando materiales híbridos orgánico-inorgánicos porosos (MOFs y sílices funcionalizadas) y materiales orgánicos aromáti-cos (PAFs), que se han estudiado en diversas reacciones orgánicas. Tras la preparación de los MOFs en estudio, se han caracterizado sus propiedades estructurales y se han determinado sus centros activos en los clústeres metálicos (circonio, hafnio o cerio). La reactividad de estos MOFs y de los materiales híbridos sílice-aminas se ha estudia-do teniendo en cuenta sus centros catalíticos; estas reacciones se han optimizado lle-vando a cabo un estudio de los mecanismos de reacción. Finalmente, se han preparado sólidos homoquirales de tipo PAF que presentan el sistema binaftilo, cuya reactividad también ha sido probada. Más específicamente, en el capítulo 3 se ha estudiado la esterificación de amidas, que permite convertirlas en ésteres, grupos funcionales más versátiles. Esta transfor-mación se ha abordado desde la catálisis heterogénea via MOFs basados en circonio, hafnio y cerio de las series MOF-808, UiO-66 y MOF-801. El catalizador más eficien-te para la esterificación de amidas ha sido el MOF-808-Zr. Mediante análisis TGA y la adsorción de una molécula sonda básica (CO) estudiada utilizando espectroscopia FT-IR, se han determinado los centros ácidos de Lewis y Brönsted presentes en ellos. De los MOFs preparados en este trabajo, el MOF 808-Zr posee una menor conectividad de los clústeres metálicos y un mayor tamaño de poro mayor que el UiO-66 y el MOF-801; además, tiene el balance adecuado de centros ácidos y básicos de Brönsted y Lewis para activar los sustratos de la reacción. El alcance de la alcoholisis con n-butanol se ha extendido a un gran número de sustratos (amidas primarias, secundarias y terciarias; aromáticas y alifáticas). La reacción también se ha estudiado en condicio-nes no solvolíticas con al, [CA] En aquesta tesi doctoral, la investigació s'ha centrat en el desenvolupament de dife-rents processos catalítics heterogenis emprant materials híbrids orgànic-inorgànics porosos (MOFs i sílices funcionalitzades) i materials orgànics aromàtics (PAFs), que s'han estudiat en diverses reaccions orgàniques. Després de la preparació dels MOFs en estudi, s'han caracteritzat les seues propietats estructurals i s'han determinat els seus centres actius en els clústers metàl·lics (zirconi, hafni o ceri). La reactivitat d'aquests MOFs i dels materials híbrids sílice-amines s'ha estudiat tenint en compte els seus cen-tres catalítics; aquestes reaccions s'han optimitzat duent a termini un estudi dels meca-nismes de reacció. Finalment, s'han preparat sòlids homoquirals de tipus PAF que presenten el sistema binaftilo, la reactivitat del qual també ha sigut provada. Més específicament, en el capítol 3 s'ha estudiat l'esterificació d' amides, que per-met convertir-les en èsters, grups funcionals més versàtils. Aquesta transformació s'ha abordat des de la catàlisi heterogènia via *MOFs basats en zirconi, hafni i ceri de les sèries MOF-808, UiO-66 i MOF-801. El catalitzador més eficient per a l'esterificació d'amides ha sigut el MOF-808-Zr. Mitjançant anàlisi TGA i l'adsorció d'una molècula sonda bàsica (CO) estudiada utilitzant espectroscopia FT-IR, s'han determinat els cen-tres àcids de Lewis i Brönsted presents en ells. Dels MOFs preparats en aquest treball, el MOF 808-Zr posseeix una menor connectivitat dels clústers metàl·lics i una major grandària de porus que el UiO-66 i el MOF-801; a més, té el balanç adequat de centres àcids i bàsics de Brönsted i Lewis per a activar els substrats de la reacció. L'abast de l'alcoholisi amb n-butanol s'ha estés a un gran nombre de substrats (amides primàries, secundàries i terciàries; aromàtiques i alifàtiques). La reacció també s'ha estudiat en condicions no solvolítiques amb alcohols més complexos. El catalitzador és estable durant la rea, [EN] In this Doctoral Thesis, the research has been focused on the development of different heterogeneous catalytic processes using hybrid porous organic-inorganic materials (MOFs and functionalized silicas) and organic aromatic materials (PAFs), which have been studied in various organic reactions. After the preparation of the MOFs under study, their structural properties have been characterised and their active centres in the metal clusters (zirconium, hafnium or cerium) have been determined. The reactivity of these MOFs and the hybrid silica-mine materials has been studied considering their catalytic centres; these reactions have been optimised by carrying out a study of the reaction mechanisms. Finally, homochiral PAF-type solids have been prepared with the binafil system, whose reactivity has also been tested. More specifically, the esterification of amides has been studied in Chapter 3. This reaction allows to convert the amides into esters, which are more versatile functional groups. This transformation has been approached from the heterogeneous catalysis via MOFs based on zirconium, hafnium and cerium of the MOF-808, UiO-66 and MOF-801 series. The most efficient catalyst for amide esterification has been MOF-808-Zr. Using TGA analysis and the adsorption of a basic probe molecule (CO) studied using FT-IR spectroscopy, the acid centres of Lewis and Brönsted present in them have been determined. Among the MOFs prepared in this work, MOF 808-Zr has a lower metal cluster connectivity and a larger pore size than UiO-66 and MOF-801; it also has the appropriate balance of acid and basic Brönsted and Lewis centres to activate the reaction substrates. The scope of n-butanol alcoholysis has been extended to a large number of substrates (primary, secondary and tertiary amides; aromatic and aliphatic). The reaction has also been studied in non-solvolitic conditions with more complex alco-hols. The catalyst is stable during the reaction and can be easily reused. The react

[EN] The encapsulation of subnanometric metal entities (isolated metal atoms and metal clusters with a few atoms) in porous materials such as zeolites can be an effective strategy for the stabilization of those metal species and therefore can be further used for a variety of catalytic reactions. However, owing to the complexity of zeolite structures and their low stability under the electron beam, it is challenging to obtain atomic-level structural information of the subnanometric metal species encapsulated in zeolite crystallites. In this protocol, we show the application of a scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) technique that records simultaneously the high-angle annular dark-field (HAADF) images and integrated differential phase-contrast (iDPC) images for structural characterization of subnanometric Pt and Sn species within MFI zeolite. The approach relies on the use of a computational model to simulate results obtained under different conditions where the metals are present in different positions within the zeolite. This imaging technique allows to obtain simultaneously the spatial information of heavy elements (Pt and Sn in this work) and the zeolite framework structure, enabling direct determination of the location of the subnanometric metal species. Moreover, we also present the combination of other spectroscopy techniques as complementary tools for the STEM-iDPC imaging technique to obtain global understanding and insights on the spatial distributions of subnanometric metal species in zeolite structure. These structural insights can provide guidelines for the rational design of uniform metal-zeolite materials for catalytic applications. Precise knowledge of the structure of metals supported and stabilized by zeolite frameworks informs improved design and synthesis of the catalysts. This tutorial describes scanning transmission electron microscopy approaches for their structural analysis.

[EN] Organic structure directing agents (OSDAs) play a crucial role in the synthesis of micro- and mesoporous materials especially in the case of zeolites. Despite the wide use of OSDAs, their interaction with zeolite frameworks is poorly understood, with researchers relying on synthesis heuristics or computationally expensive techniques to predict whether an organic molecule can act as an OSDA for a certain zeolite. In this paper, we undertake a data-driven approach to unearth generalized OSDA-zeolite relationships using a comprehensive database comprising of 5,663 synthesis routes for porous materials. To generate this comprehensive database, we use natural language processing and text mining techniques to extract OSDAs, zeolite phases, and gel chemistry from the scientific literature published between 1966 and 2020. Through structural featurization of the OSDAs using weighted holistic invariant molecular (WHIM) descriptors, we relate OSDAs described in the literature to different types of cage-based, small-pore zeolites. Lastly, we adapt a generative neural network capable of suggesting new molecules as potential OSDAs for a given zeolite structure and gel chemistry. We apply this model to CHA and SFW zeolites generating several alternative OSDA candidates to those currently used in practice. These molecules are further vetted with molecular mechanics simulations to show the model generates physically meaningful predictions. Our model can automatically explore the OSDA space, reducing the amount of simulation or experimentation needed to find new OSDA candidates.

[EN] In this work, we have studied the catalytic activity of different silicates (MFI, MCM-41, and Beta) containing Lewis acid sites (including Sn, Ti, Zr, and Hf) for the tandem N-alkylation reaction of aniline with benzyl alcohol. The Hf- and Zr-Beta were the most active catalysts for this transformation, showing in both cases selectivities toward the corresponding N-benzylaniline higher than 97%. FTIR and DFT analyses confirm that the active sites in the Hf-Beta catalyst for this process are the open sites where one of the four Hf-O bonds is hydrolyzed. Moreover, the amount of these active species could be notoriously increased with previous thermal treatment of the Lewis acid zeolite with benzyl alcohol. Isotopically labeled experiments and theoretical mechanistic studies reveal that the N-alkylation reaction occurs through a hydrogen borrowing pathway, in which in situ Hf-hydride species were generated. Finally, the Hf-Beta zeolite was reused several times in the N-alkylation reaction without any appreciable deactivation detected. This catalytic system could be expanded to a variety of amines, including aliphatic and biomass-derived amines.

[EN] The modulated hydrothermal (MHT) synthesis of an active and selective Hf-MOF-808 material for the N-alkylation reaction of aniline with benzyl alcohol under base-free mild reaction conditions is reported. Through kinetic experiments and isotopically labeled NMR spectroscopy studies, we have demonstrated that the reaction mechanism occurs via borrowing hydrogen (BH) pathway, in which the alcohol dehydrogenation is the limiting step. The high concentration of defective -OH groups generated on the metallic nodes through MHT synthesis enhances the alcohol activation, while the unsaturated Hf4+, which acts as a Lewis acid site, is able to borrow the hydrogen from the methylene position of benzyl alcohol. This fact makes this material at least 14 times more active for the N-alkylation reaction than the material obtained via solvothermal synthesis. The methodology described in this work could be applied to a wide range of aniline and benzyl alcohol derivates, showing in all cases high selectivity toward the corresponding N-benzylaniline product. Finally, Hf-MOF-808, which acts as a true heterogeneous catalyst, can be reused in at least four consecutive runs without any activity loss.

[EN] The structure of UiO-66(Ce) is formed by CeO2-x defective nanoclusters connected by terephthalate ligands. The initial presence of accessible Ce3+ sites in the as-synthesized UiO-66(Ce) has been determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR)-CO analyses. Moreover, linear scan voltammetric measurements reveal a reversible Ce4+/Ce3+ interconversion within the UiO-66(Ce) material, while nanocrystalline ceria shows an irreversible voltammetric response. This suggests that terephthalic acid ligands facilitate charge transfer between subnanometric metallic nodes, explaining the higher oxidase-like activity of UiO-66(Ce) compared to nanoceria for the mild oxidation of organic dyes under aerobic conditions. Based on these results, we propose the use of Ce-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) as efficient catalysts for the halogenation of activated arenes, as 1,3,5-trimethoxybenzene (TMB), using oxygen as a green oxidant. Kinetic studies demonstrate that UiO-66(Ce) is at least three times more active than nanoceria under the same reaction conditions. In addition, the UiO-66(Ce) catalyst shows an excellent stability and can be reused after proper washing treatments. Finally, a general mechanism for the oxidative halogenation reaction is proposed when using Ce-MOF as a catalyst, which mimics the mechanistic pathway described for metalloenzymes. The superb control in the generation of subnanometric CeO2-x defective clusters connected by adequate organic ligands in MOFs offers exciting opportunities in the design of Ce-based redox catalysts.

[EN] Rh2P nanoparticles (NPs) have been identified as suitable mimics of [Rh-I(Ph3P)(3)](+), the benchmark of homogeneous catalysts in liquid-phase hydroformylation. For this reason, a fitted synthetic strategy is required to develop catalysts based exclusively on Rh2P NPs. To attain this, two synthetic pathways have been devised. In the first one, two separate sources of Rh and P were used. In the second one, the Wilkinson complex was employed as a unique source of Rh and P to probe the positive influence of the well-defined molecular organization on the preparation of dispersed and controlled Rh2P nanoparticles, stabilized by carbon patches formed during the pyrolysis treatment from PPh3. In addition, metallic Rh nanoparticles were also synthesized to be used as reference. All catalysts have been compared by means of: transmission electron microscopy, Xray diffraction, and X-ray adsorption spectroscopy. The application of XAS to the study of Rh2P NPs is unusual and has been essential in the discussion of the results. Starting with a well-defined metal precursor leads to the exclusive formation of Rh2P NPs with excellent catalytic activity for the liquid-phase hydroformylation. The role of P is to modulate the particle size and the electronic configuration of Rh species, resulting in the improvement of the catalytic performance and the obtention of turnover frequencies of 5236 h(-1) at 60 degrees C and 17,788 h(-1) at 100 degrees C.

[EN] For producing second-generation ethanol (cellulosic ethanol) and other value-added bioproducts, magnetic graphene oxide (GO-MNP) was synthesized in this work and used as the immobilization support for an industrial cellulase-and xylanase-containing preparation. GO-MNP characterization by TEM, SEM and ATR-FTIR spectroscopy showed that the magnetic nanoparticles are homogeneously distributed onto the GO sheets surface. The enzymatic preparation was immobilized by means of carbodiimide cross-linking chemistry using 1-ethyl-3-(3-dimethylaminopropyl) carbodiimide and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS). The supported final biocatalyst (GO-MNP-Enz) showed high activity for the hydrolysis of pretreated sugarcane bagasse (PSB) and presented relative endoglucanase, xylanase, beta-glucosidase, and beta-xylosidase activities of 70%, 66%, 88%, and 70%, respectively, after 10 cycles of hydrolysis of their respective substrates. The biocatalyst also maintained approximately 50% and 80% of its efficiency for cellulose and xylan hydrolysis, respectively, being the TOF (g.g(-1).h(-1)) the highest observed when compared with previous results reported in literature. These findings suggest that GO-MNP-Enz may be a prospective candidate for industrial applications such as second-generation ethanol production. (C) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[EN] The hydrogenation activity and physico-chemical characterization of a series of NiMo catalyst supported on materials with different acid-base properties (Al2O3, layered double hydroxides-derived MgAl oxides and MgO) have been investigated. The results show a clear correlation between the electrodonor capacity of the support, the negative charge density of the supported NiMo oxides and the intrinsic hydrogenation rate of the sulfided phase. Spectroscopic characterization ruled out any possible contribution derived from differences in the NiMoS2 stack or slab size distributions, as determined by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The experimental results obtained suggest the occurrence of an electron transfer phenomena from the support to the supported NiMoS2 slabs, being this effect stronger for supports with higher electrodonor capacity. This work presents a specific electronic support effect that goes beyond the classical dispersing and stabilizing role.

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: P. Ferri, C. Li, C. Paris, A. Rodríguez-Fernández, M. Moliner, M. Boronat, A. Corma, ChemCatChem 2021, 13, 1578, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/cctc.202001760. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving., [EN] The light olefin product distribution of the methanol-to-olefin (MTO) reaction catalyzed by acid zeolites and zeotypes depends on the nature of the entrapped hydrocarbon pool species that act as co-catalysts. The preferential stabilization by confinement effects of the cationic intermediates involved in the side-chain or paring pathways of the aromatics-based cycle of the MTO mechanism in small-pore cage-based zeolites is determined by the topology of the cavity, and can be quantitatively described through the E-int(7/5) parameter obtained from DFT calculations. In this work we extend the study of the E-int(7/5) parameter to a wide range of structures (ERI, LEV, AEI, CHA, DDR, AFX, RTH, ITE, SAV, UFI, RHO, KFI, and LTA) and discuss its applicability in small cages with steric constraints to host bulky intermediates, in zeolites with a tight fitting between the cavity and the hosted cations, and in large cages where confinement effects are lost in part and competitive processes occur.

[EN] Understanding the interactions that govern the photophysical behaviour of Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) and their composites is paramount for their photochemical and photonic applications. In this work, we report on the photobehaviour of Nile Red (NR) adsorbed on the surface of 2D Zr-ITQ-HB (NR@Zr-ITQ-HB) MOF using ultrafast (fs-ns) and single-molecule fluorescence techniques. The results show the occurrence of energy transfer processes happening in 0.34 ns between neighbouring NR molecules, intramolecular charge transfer reaction (similar to 0.6 ps) and a vibrational cooling (10 ps) of the adsorbed dye. Time-resolved single-composite fluorescence microscopy experiments on different NR-loaded composites allowed to resolve the emission from adsorbed aggregates (0.9 ns) and from the charge separated state (2.5 ns) of excited NR. The different photobehaviour of NR adsorbed on ZrO2 nanoparticles indicates the relevance of the Zr-ITQ-HB MOFs surface to the observed photo induced reactions in the composites. We discuss how the nature of both, the organic linkers and metal clusters in this kind of MOFs, affects the photodynamics of the composites. These results may help in designing MOFs "on demand" for their application in photons-based science and technology, like photocatalysis and lighting.

[EN] Activation of alkanes can be achieved with different types of catalysts, spanning over enzymes, homogeneous and heterogeneous metal catalysts. Though a tremendous amount of knowledge has been accumulated in the literature, the connections between different types of catalysts are rarely discussed due to the differences among the three catalysis fields in terms of catalyst structures, reaction conditions, and catalytic performances. There are also similarities among the various systems in terms of the structural features of the active sites and reaction mechanisms. In this review, we attempt to show the interconnections among the three catalysis fields regarding the nature of active sites and reaction mechanism for metal-catalyzed alkane activation reactions. We will show the lessons obtained from well-defined enzymatic and molecular catalysts developed in bio- and homogeneous catalysis, and how these can be translated into fundamental understanding and further developments of heterogeneous metal catalysts, for practical applications related to alkane activation.

[EN] Ruthenium has been incorporated into the framework of the cryptomelane type manganese oxide K-OMS-2 ([Ru]-K-OMS2) and the presence of this element into the structure has been assessed by combining analytical and vibrational techniques such as ICP, UV-Vis, FT-IR and Raman spectroscopies, X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy (HR-TEM and SEM), TPR-H-2, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Rietveld refinement of the X-ray diffractogram has allowed to estimate changes in the values of cell parameters which were compatible with an isomorphic ruthenium substitution into the original structure. These calculations are in agreement with the observed increase in the interplanar spacing of (100) planes from 7.1 angstrom to 7.7 angstrom for the Ru-doped material.

[EN] Modulating the structures of subnanometric metal clusters at the atomic level is a great synthetic and characterization challenge in catalysis. Here, we show how the catalytic properties of subnanometric platinum clusters (0.5-0.6 nm) confined in the sinusoidal 10R channels of purely siliceous MFI zeolite are modulated upon introduction of partially reduced tin species that interact with the noble metal at the metal/support interface. The platinum-tin clusters are stable in H(2)over an extended period of time (>6 h), even at high temperatures (for example, 600 degrees C), which is determined by only a few additional tin atoms added to the platinum clusters. The structural features of platinum-tin clusters, which are not immediately visible by conventional characterization techniques but can be established after combination of in situ extended X-ray absorption fine structure, high-angle annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy and CO infrared data, are key to providing a one-order of magnitude lower deactivation rate in the propane dehydrogenation reaction while maintaining high intrinsic (initial) catalytic activity

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: A. J. Schwanke, R. Balzer, C. Wittee Lopes, D. Motta Meira, U. Díaz, A. Corma, S. Pergher, Chem. Eur. J. 2020, 26, 10459, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/chem.202000862. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving., [EN] In this work, an MWW-type zeolite with pillars containing silicon and niobium oxide was synthesized to obtain a hierarchical zeolite. The effect of niobium insertion in the pillaring process was determined by combining a controllable acidity and accessibility in the final material. All pillared materials had niobium occupying framework positions in pillars and extra-framework positions. The pillared material, Pil-Nb-4.5 with 4.5 wt % niobium, did not compromise the mesoporosity formed by pillaring, while the increase of niobium in the structure gradually decreased the mesoporosity and ordering of lamellar stacking. The morphology of the pillared zeolites and the niobium content were found to directly affect the catalytic activity. Specifically, we report on the activity of the MWW-type zeolites with niobium catalyzing the gas-phase oxidation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which is an important reaction for clean environmental. All produced MWW-type zeolites with niobium were catalytically active, even at low temperatures and low niobium loading, and provided excellent conversion efficiencies.

[EN] Valuable chiral alcs. have been obtained from racemic mixts. with an integrated heterogeneous chemoenzymic catalyst in a two consecutive fixed catalytic bed continuous reactor system. In the first bed the racemic mixt. of alcs. is oxidized to the prochiral ketone with a Zr-Beta zeolite and using acetone as the hydrogen acceptor. In the second catalytic bed the prochiral ketone is stereoselectively reduced with an alc. dehydrogenase (ADH) immobilized on a two dimensional (2D) zeolite. In this process, the alc. (isopropanol) formed by the redn. of acetone in the first step reduces the cofactor in the second step, and the full reaction cycle is in this way internally closed with 100% atom economy. A conversion of about 95% with ~100% selectivity to either the (R) or the (S) alc. has been obtained for a variety of racemic mixts. of alcs

[EN] Magnetically induced catalysis using magnetic nanoparticles (MagNPs) as heating agents is a new efficient method to perform reactions at high temperatures. However, the main limitation is the lack of stability of the catalysts operating in such harsh conditions. Normally, above 500 degrees C, significant sintering of MagNPs takes place. Here we present encapsulated magnetic FeCo and Co NPs in carbon (Co@C and FeCo@C) as an ultrastable heating material suitable for high-temperature magnetic catalysis. Indeed, FeCo@C or a mixture of FeCo@C:Co@C (2:1) decorated with Ni or Pt-Sn showed good stability in terms of temperature and catalytic performances. In addition, consistent conversions and selectivities regarding conventional heating were observed for CO2 methanation (Sabatier reaction), propane dehydrogenation (PDH), and propane dry reforming (PDR). Thus, the encapsulation of MagNPs in carbon constitutes a major advance in the development of stable catalysts for high-temperature magnetically induced catalysis.

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in ACS Catalysis, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.0c02799, [EN] Among the possible on-purpose technologies for propene production, direct conversion of butene-rich fractions to propene represents an attractive alternative to conventional routes such as steam cracking or fluid catalytic cracking. Here, we present an approach for designing an efficient ZSM-5-based catalyst for the selective cracking of butenes to propene by properly balancing diffusional and compositional effects. Instead of the large coffin-shaped ZSM-5 crystallites with very high Si/Al ratios generally reported, the optimal catalyst in terms of propene selectivity and catalyst life was found to be a ZSM-5 zeolite with a squared morphology, submicron-sized crystals (0.8 x 0.3 x 1.0 mu m), and a Si/Al molar ratio of around 300. For this crystal conformation, the short dimensions of both sinusoidal and straight channels facilitate propene diffusion and reduce its consumption in consecutive reactions, limiting the formation of C5+ oligomers and aromatics and maximizing propene selectivity. Coffin-type ZSM-5 crystals, with higher diffusional restrictions than square-shaped crystals, show faster catalyst deactivation than the latter, independently of the crystal size and Al content. However, among the ZSM-5 zeolite crystallites with a coffin morphology, the one presenting intergrowths on the (010) face, with a larger proportion of sinusoidal channels, shows a lower aromatic selectivity and deactivation rate, whereas the other two, with straight channels open to the clean (010) faces, favor the formation of aromatics by direct cyclization-dehydrogenation of oligomeric intermediates.

[EN] The cationic complex [(JohnPhos-Au)(3)(acetylide)][SbF6] (JohnPhos=(2-biphenyl)di-tert-butylphosphine, L1) has been characterised structurally and features an acetylide-trigold(I)-JohnPhos system; the trinuclear-acetylide unit, coordinated to the monodentate bulk phosphines, adopts an unprecedented mu,eta(1),eta(2),eta(1)coordination mode with an additional interaction between distal phenyl rings and gold centres. Other cationic sigma,pi-[(gold(I)L1)(2)] complexes have also been isolated. The reaction of trimethylsilylacetylene with various alcohols (iPrOH,nBuOH,n-HexOH) catalysed by cationic [Au(I)L1][SbF6] complexes in CH(2)Cl(2)at 50 degrees C led to the formation of acetaldehyde acetals with a high degree of chemo- and regioselectivity. The reaction mechanism was studied, and several organic and inorganic intermediates have been characterised. A comparative study with the analogous cationic [Cu(I)L1][PF6] complex revealed different behaviour; the copper metal is lost from the coordination sphere leading to the formation of cationic vinylphosphonium and copper nanoparticles. Additionally, a new catalytic approach for the formation of this high-value cationic vinylphosphonium has been established.

[EN] Titanosilicate zeolites are catalysts of interest in the field of fine chemicals. However, the generation and accessibility of active sites in titanosilicate materials for catalyzing reactions with large molecules is still a challenge. Herein, we prepared titanosilicate zeolite precursors with open zeolitic structures, tunable pore sizes, and controllable Si/Ti ratios through a hydrothermal crystallization strategy by using quaternary ammonium templates. A series of quaternary ammonium ions are discovered as effective organic templates. The prepared amorphous titanosilicate zeolites with some zeolite framework structural order have extra-large micropores and abundant octahedrally coordinated isolated Ti species, which lead to a superior catalytic performance in the oxidative desulfurization of dibenzothiophene (DBT) and epoxidation of cyclohexene. It is anticipated that the amorphous prezeolitic titanosilicates will benefit the catalytic conversion of bulky molecules in a wide range of reaction processes.

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Y. Mathieu, J. D. Vidal, L. Arribas Martínez, N. Abad Fernández, S. Iborra, A. Corma, ChemSusChem 2020, 13, 4743, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202001295. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving., [EN] During oxidative depolymn. of lignin in aq. alk. medium using mol. oxygen as oxidant, the highly functionalized primary phenolic monomers are not stable products, owing to various not fully identified secondary reaction mechanisms. However, better understanding of the mechanisms responsible for the instability of the main part of the products of interest derived from lignin is of much interest. Evaluation of their individual reactivities under oxidative conditions should significantly help to find a better way to valorize the lignin polymer and to maximize the yields of target value-added products. Consequently, the main objective of this study is to assess the individual stabilities of some selected ligninbased phenolic compds., such as vanillin, vanillic acid, and acetovanillone, together with some other pure chem. compds. such as phenol and anisole to give an insight into the mechanisms responsible for the simultaneous formation and repolymn. of those products and the influence of the oxidn. conditions. Various complementary strategies of stabilization are proposed, discussed, and applied for the oxidative depolymn. reactions of a tech. lignin extd. from pinewood with a high content of b-O-4 interconnecting bonds to try to obtain enhanced yields of value-added products.

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: J. M. Carceller, J. P. Martínez Galán, R. Monti, J. C. Bassan, M. Filice, J. Yu, M. J. Climent, S. Iborra, A. Corma, ChemCatChem 2020, 12, 4502, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/cctc.202000320. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving., [EN] The crude naringinase from Penicillium decumbens and a purified naringinase with high a-L-rhamnosidase activity could be covalently immobilized on two-dimensional zeolite ITQ-2 after surface modification with glutaraldehyde. The influence of pH and temp. on the enzyme activity (in free and immobilized forms) as well as the thermal stability were detd. using the specific substrate: p-nitrophenyl-alpha-L-rhamnopyranoside (Rha-pNP). The crude and purified naringinase supported on ITQ-2 were applied in the hydrolysis of naringin, giving the flavonoids naringenin and prunin resp. with a conversion >90% and excellent selectivity. The supported enzymes showed long term stability, being possible to perform up to 25 consecutive cycles without loss of activity, showing its high potential to produce the valuable citrus flavonoids prunin and naringenin. We have also succeeded in the application of the immobilized crude naringinase on ITQ-2 for debittering grapefruit juices in a continuous process that was maintained operating for 300 h, with excellent results.

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: L. Liu, M. Lopez-Haro, D. M. Meira, P. Concepcion, J. J. Calvino, A. Corma, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 15695, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202005621. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving., [EN] Preparation of supported metal catalysts with uniform particle size and coordination environment is a challenging and important topic in materials chemistry and catalysis. In this work, we report the regioselective generation of single-site Ir atoms and their evolution into stabilized subnanometric Ir clusters in MWW zeolite, which are located at the 10MR window connecting the two neighboring 12MR supercages. The size of the subnanometric Ir clusters can be controlled by the post-synthesis treatments and maintain below 1 nm even after being reduced at 650 degrees C, which cannot be readily achieved with samples prepared by conventional impregnation methods. The high structure sensitivity, size-dependence, of catalytic performance in the alkane hydrogenolysis reaction of Ir clusters in the subnanometric regime is evidenced.

[EN] To achieve high-loading of stable subnanometric metal clusters on solid carriers is a challenge since those small metal clusters have strong tendency to sinter into larger nanoparticles. Development of facile synthesis methodologies to obtain subnanometric metal catalysts with high metal loading and high stability against sintering at high temperature (>500 degrees C) in reductive atmosphere (such as H-2) is critical for the practical applications. In this work, we will present and discuss the generation of high-loading (similar to 1.4 wt%) subnanometric Pt clusters confined in the sinusoidal channels of MFI zeolite, on the basis of the atomic-level understanding on the evolution of Pt and Sn species during high-temperature oxidation-reduction treatments. It will be shown that the structural evolution of Pt and Sn species is dependent on the post-synthesis treatments. The Pt particles on the external surface can disintegrate into subnanometric Pt species and get stabilized in the zeolite channels during high-temperature calcination in air while Sn species migrate from surface region to internal region during high-temperature reduction treatment at 650 degrees C. The resultant material containing bimetallic PtSn clusters confined in the 10MR sinusoidal channels of the purely siliceous MFI zeolite show excellent catalytic activity and stability, as demonstrated for dehydrogenation of light alkanes at high reaction temperature. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[EN] The selective incorporation of isolated framework Lewis acid sites at specific crystallographic positions in high-silica zeolites was achieved by applying a rationalized post-synthetic grafting methodology. The removal of framework Ge atoms from a Ge-BEC zeolite with low concentrations of Ge in the framework (Si/Ge similar to 150) followed by grafting allows the synthesis of Sn-BEC zeolites with Sn atoms positionally biased into the double-4-ring (D4R) crystallographic positions of the BEC framework. Spectroscopic characterization using solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) coupled with theoretical calculations revealed that Sn atoms preferentially form open Sn sites in the D4R of Sn-BEC. This observation was supported by IR spectra of adsorbed deuterated acetonitrile (CD3CN), a known titrant of Sn sites in zeolites. The catalytic implications of selective incorporation of open Sn sites in Sn-BEC were probed using the Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley-Oppenauer (MPVO) reaction. Although the MPVO turnover rates normalized by the total number of open Sn sites were comparable on Sn-BEC and a conventional Sn-Beta catalyst synthesized in fluoride media (Sn-Beta(F)), Sn-BEC demonstrated higher per gram reaction rates because of its larger fraction of open sites compared to Sn-Beta(F). These results highlight the advantage of placing active sites in targeted locations within a zeolite structure. The methodology presented here to selectively place catalytic active sitesviasacrificial heteroatoms, such as Ge, can be generalized for the design of many other tetrahedrally-coordinated metal-containing zeolites.

[EN] Aluminosilicate boggsite (Si/Al-BOG) has been hydrothermally synthesized without adding org. structure-directing agents (OSDAs) in the synthesis gel using the borosilicogermanium ITQ-47 (Si/B-ITQ-47) zeolite as seeds. The introduction of the costly and environmentally less benign phosphazene org. structure-directing agent is not required to grow the zeolite. Physicochem. characterization expts. show that Si/Al-BOG has good crystallinity, high surface area, tetrahedral Al3+ species, and acid sites. In order to test the catalytic performance of the zeolite, the synthesis of L,L-lactide from L-lactic acid was performed. Si/Al-BOG exhibits 88.2% conversion of L-lactic acid and 83.8% L,L-lactide selectivity, which are better than those of other zeolites studied up to now.

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: P. Ferri, C. Li, R. Millán, J. Martínez-Triguero, M. Moliner, M. Boronat, A. Corma, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2020, 59, 19708, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202007609. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving., [EN] The methanol-to-olefins reaction catalyzed by small-pore cage-based acid zeolites and zeotypes produces a mixture of short chain olefins, whose selectivity to ethene, propene and butene varies with the cavity architecture and with the framework composition. The product distribution of aluminosilicates and silicoaluminophosphates with the CHA and AEI structures (H-SSZ-13, H-SAPO-34, H-SSZ-39 and H-SAPO-18) has been experimentally determined, and the impact of acidity and framework flexibility on the stability of the key cationic intermediates involved in the mechanism and on the diffusion of the olefin products through the8rwindows of the catalysts has been evaluated by means of periodic DFT calculations and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. The preferential stabilization by confinement of fully methylated hydrocarbon pool intermediates favoring the paring pathway is the main factor controlling the final olefin product distribution.

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: A. Garcia-Ortiz, K. S. Arias, M. J. Climent, A. Corma, S. Iborra, ChemSusChem 2020, 13, 707, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.201903496. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving., [EN] Biomass-derived surfactants with very good surfacetension and criticalmicellar concentration properties wereobtained by conversion of methyl levulinate into methyl 4-alkoxypenta- noates through reductive etherification with aliphatic alcohols. Amongdifferent bifunctional acid/metal catalysts bestresults were obtained with Pd on carbon bearing acid sites. The reac- tion occurred through the formation of an enol ether inter- mediate followed by hydrogenation. Pd in high-density planes was the active hydrogenation species, and an optimum crystal size was found to be approximately 10 nm. The reductive etherification with aliphatic alcohols was extended to other aliphatic and cyclic ketonesand aldehydes obtained from bio- mass, and excellent results were obtained on supported Pd catalysts with the reaction route and experimentalconditions described in this work.

[EN] C1 chemistry, which is the catalytic transformation of C1 molecules including CO, CO2, CH4, CH3OH, and HCOOH, plays an important role in providing energy and chemical supplies while meeting environmental requirements. Zeolites are highly efficient solid catalysts used in the chemical industry. The design and development of zeolite-based mono-, bi-, and multifunctional catalysts has led to a booming application of zeolite-based catalysts to C1 chemistry. Combining the advantages of zeolites and metallic catalytic species has promoted the catalytic production of various hydrocarbons (e.g., methane, light olefins, aromatics, and liquid fuels) and oxygenates (e.g., methanol, dimethyl ether, formic acid, and higher alcohols) from C1 molecules. The key zeolite descriptors that influence catalytic performance, such as framework topologies, nanoconfinement effects, Bronsted acidities, secondary-pore systems, particle sizes, extraframework cations and atoms, hydrophobicity and hydrophilicity, and proximity between acid and metallic sites are discussed to provide a deep understanding of the significance of zeolites to C1 chemistry. An outlook regarding challenges and opportunities for the conversion of C1 resources using zeolite-based catalysts to meet emerging energy and environmental demands is also presented.

[EN] One inhibitor of the fatty acid transporter FATP4 was synthesized in a three steps one-pot process in the presence of a bifunctional metal/acid catalyst. This molecule which has potential interest for the treatment of the obesity in orlistat (Xenical(TM)) analogue-based therapies has a 3,4-dihydropyrimidin-2(1H)-one (DHPM) scaffold and was obtained by means of a three one-pot process through successive oxidation, cyclocondensation and transesterification reactions. The one-pot strategy was extended to the synthesis of a series of related ester DHPM derivatives.

[EN] We present a highly selective and active Pd carbon catalyst prepared by an easy hydrothermal synthesis method. This synthetic procedure allows the stabilization under mild conditions of interstitial carbon atoms on the surface of a Pd-0 carbon catalyst. The so formed Pd carbide phase appears on the upper surface layers of the Pd carbon catalyst, as demonstrated by X-ray photoelectron depth profile analysis using variable synchrotron X-ray energies. The presence of carbon in the palladium carbide species modifies the electronic state of surface Pd atoms, resulting in more electron positive Pd species (Pdd+). This influences the adsorption of reactants and reaction intermediates during the hydrogenation of alkynes, dienes and imines, resulting in high selectivities at practically 100% conversion. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c04398, [EN] The catalytic performance of two different MOFs, UiO-66 and MOF-808, containing Lewis acid active sites has been evaluated for the transformation of glucose in water and compared with that of analogous Lewis acid Zr-beta zeolite. While fructose is the main product obtained on Zr-beta, mannose production increases when using Zr-MOFs as catalysts. Kinetic studies reveal a lower activation energy barrier for glucose epimerization to mannose when using Zr-MOF catalysts (similar to 83-88 and similar to 100 kJ/mol for glucose epimerization and isomerization, respectively). A C-13 NMR study using (13)C1-labeled glucose allows confirming that on Zr-MOF catalysts, mannose is exclusively formed following the glucose epimerization route through a 1,2-intramolecular carbon shift, whereas the two-step glucose -> fructose -> mannose isomerization via 1,2-intramolecular proton shifts is the preferred pathway on Zr-beta. A computational study reveals a different mode of adsorption of deprotonated glucose on Zr-MOFs that allows decreasing the activation barrier for the 1,2-intramolecular carbon shift. The combination of spectroscopic, kinetic, and theoretical studies allows unraveling the nature of the metal sites in Zr-MOFs and Zr-beta catalysts and to propose a structure-activity relationship between the different Lewis acid sites and the glucose transformation reactions. The results presented here could permit new rationalized MOF catalyst designs with the specific active sites to facilitate particular reaction mechanisms.

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: E. Subbotina, A. Velty, J. S. M. Samec, A. Corma, ChemSusChem 2020, 13, 4528, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202000330. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving., [EN] Organosolv pulping releases reactive monomers from both lignin and hemicellulose by the cleavage of weak C-O bonds. These monomers recombine to form undesired polymers through the formation of recalcitrant C-C bonds. Different strategies have been developed to prevent this process by stabilizing the reactive monomers (i.e., lignin-first approaches). To date, all reported approaches rely on the addition of capping agents or metal-catalyzed stabilization reactions, which usually require high pressures of hydrogen gas. Herein, a metal- and additive-free approach is reported that uses zeolites as acid catalysts to convert the reactive monomers into more stable derivatives under organosolv pulping conditions. Experiments with model lignin compounds showed that the recondensation of aldehydes and allylic alcohols produced by the cleavage of beta-O-4 ' bonds was efficiently inhibited by the use of protonic beta zeolite. By applying a zeolite with a preferred pore size, the bimolecular reactions of reactive monomers were effectively inhibited, resulting in stable and valuable monophenolics. The developed methodology was further extended to birch wood to yield monophenolic compounds and value-added products from carbohydrates.

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: K. S. Arias, J. M. Carceller, M. J. Climent, A. Corma, S. Iborra, ChemSusChem 2020, 13, 1864, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.201903123. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving., [EN] Biobased plasticizers, as substitutes for phthalates, have been synthesized from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and carboxylic acids (or esters) through a chemoenzymatic cascade process that involves as its first step the reduction of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural into 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF), followed by the esterification of BHMF with carboxylic acids (or esters) by using a supported lipase (Novozym 435). The reduction of HMF into BHMF is performed by using monodisperse metallic Co nanoparticles with a thin carbon shell (Co@C) with high activity and selectivity. After optimization of reaction conditions (temperature, hydrogen pressure, and solvent), it is possible to achieve 97% conversion of HMF with 99% selectivity to BHMF after 2 h reaction time. The reduction of HMF and esterification of BHMF using carboxylic acids or vinyl esters as acyl donors by lipase are optimized separately in batch and in fixed-bed continuous reactors. The coupling of two flow reactors (for reduction and subsequent esterification) working under optimized reaction conditions affords the diesters of BHMF in roughly 90% yield with no loss of activity during 60 h of operation.

[EN] Two Pd-containing medium pore zeolite frameworks, MFI and MWW, have been evaluated as passive NOx adsorbers (PNAs) in automotive applications. The NOx adsorption/desorption behavior of Pd-containing standard ZSM-5 and MCM-22 zeolites with analogous physico-chemical properties (Si/Al similar to 10-12, 1%wt Pd, crystal size of similar to 200-400 nm), has been first studied. Pd/ZSM-5 shows better low-temperature NOx capacity than Pd/MCM-22 (0.83 and 0.55 mu mol NOx/mu mol Pd), but, in contrast, Pd/MCM-22 is able to desorb NOx at remarkable lower temperatures (similar to 50 degrees C fewer). In order to evaluate the influence of the textural properties of the MWW-type materials on the NOx adsorption/desorption behavior, a delaminated DS-ITQ-2 and nano-MCM-22, have also been prepared. The deactivation of the different Pd-containing medium pore zeolites and their posterior regeneration have been systematically studied by subjecting the samples to CO-ageing treatments at different temperatures (from 150 to 650 degrees C) and hydrothermal treatments at 750 degrees C, respectively. Pd/ZSM-5 is able to almost fully recovery the former NOx adsorption capacity, whereas Pd/MWW materials only recuperate half of their initial NOx adsorption capacity, fact that can be explained by the larger critical sizes of part of the agglomerated metal particles on the external surface of these materials.

[EN] Taking into account that the transformation of biomass-derived 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) top-xylene involves Diels-Alder (DA) cycloaddition as the limiting step, the use of an ITQ-2 zeolite obtained by direct synthesis (DS-ITQ-2) as a catalyst for this reaction is proposed based on the fact that the organic molecule employed for its synthesis mimics the size and shape of the DA oxanorbornene cycloadduct intermediate. Periodic Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations reveal a better stabilization of the oxanorbornene intermediate within the external hemicavities or "cups" of the DS-ITQ-2 zeolite (MWW-framework) than in other zeolites employed for this reaction, such as FAU and Beta. Interestingly, experimental results also show improved catalytic conversion values for the DS-ITQ-2 zeolite compared to FAU and Beta, in good agreement with the stabilization energies calculated by DFT. The "ab initio" catalyst design presented here to enhance the catalytic performance for the transformation of biomass-derived products is a valuable example that could be employed for the rationalization of other chemical processes catalyzed by zeolites.

[EN] The selective oxidation of propene to propene oxide (PO) is an industrially relevant and still challenging reaction that requires the design of highly specific catalysts able to improve simultaneously activity and selectivity. Metallic copper exhibits high selectivity toward propene epoxidation that drops when the catalyst surface is oxidized under reaction conditions. On the basis of previous work showing that small planar Cu-5 clusters are more resistant to oxidation than 3D ones, we have performed a detailed theoretical study of the mechanism of propene oxidation with molecular O-2 and atomic O adsorbed on both planar and 3D Cu-5 clusters. The desired pathways leading to PO as well as the undesired routes producing propanal, acetone, or allyl intermediates that finally evolve to acrolein or CO2 have been considered, and the global analysis of all data indicates that planar Cu-5 clusters are promising candidates for the selective epoxidation of propene

[EN] The adsorption of linear, monobranched and dibranched saturated hydrocarbons in the gasoline range has been studied on pure silica STW zeolite (Si-STW) by using pentane, hexane, and heptane isomers as model adsorbates. Experimental single-component adsorption isotherms and kinetic measurements together with configurational bias Monte Carlo (CBMC) and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were carried out. Significant differences in both the equilibrium adsorption and especially the adsorption kinetics were found, which suggests that the separation of the quaternary-carbon dibranched isomer is feasible. The adsorption capacities and selectivities surpass those of pure silica MFI (Si-MFI), considered as reference. Altogether, Si-STW is presented as a promising adsorbent for increasing the octane number (ON) of the hydroisomerization product by selectively excluding quaternary-carbon dibranched hydrocarbons.

[EN] The preparation of continuous layers of highly hydrophobic pure silica ITQ-29 zeolite, potentially applicable as hydrophobic membranes for separation of molecules based on their polarity, has been investigated. Continuous layers of intergrown ITQ-29 zeolite crystals were successfully grown on porous alumina supports by optimization of the synthesis conditions, such as the appropriate selection of the seeds, the procedure for the gel preparation, and the calcination conditions. This resulted in the formation of all silica ITQ-29 zeolite layers without the presence of germanium required in previously reported ITQ-29 membranes, with the subsequent improvement in quality and stability, as verified by the absence of cracks after calcination. We have proved that the incorporation of aluminum from the support into the zeolite layer does not occur, neither during the secondary growth nor through migration of aluminum species during calcination.

Tesis por compendio, [ES] El Proyecto de investigación aquí descrito se estructura en dos partes. La primera parte se centra en la investigación fundamental con el objetivo de crear un protocolo para la síntesis de zeolitas. La segunda parte se refiere al diseño, síntesis y caracterización de nuevas zeolitas, particularmente utiles para aplicaciones DeNOx,, pero también podría ser útil para aplicaciones MTO. La investigación fundamental sugiere un Nuevo modelo de preparación de zeolitas utilizando otras zeolitas como simiente. Este proceso se llama transformación zeolita-zeolita o también conversión interzeolita. El alto rendimiento obtenido, la rápida cristalización y la mejor utilización y rendimiento de los materiales de partida se han tenido en cuenta para mejorar el proceso en base a un proyecto de doctorado financiado por una empresa. Este método se ha ilustrado utilizando varias zeolitas como semilla, entre otras FAU y CHA, para la preparación de las dos zeolitas objetivo: AEI y AFX. En la segunda parte, la investigación se centra en el diseño de nuevas zeolitas de poro medio. Se han seleccionado tres zeolitas hipotéticas de una base de datos de 933611 estructuras. Esta selección se ha realizado utilizando descriptores específicamente diseñados en base a la aplicabilidad de estas zeolitas en procesos DeNOx zeolitas. A continuación se han buscado los agentes directores de estructura (ADE) más apropiados, con la ayuda de métodos computacionales, algunos de los cuales se han sintetizado posteriormente. El uso de dichos ADE en el gel de síntesis ha permitido la obtención de una zeolita cuya topología (ERI) ha sido identificada mediante análisis por PXRD, y cuya morfología y tamaño de cristal (particularmente pequeño) la hacen muy adecuada para su uso como catalizador en algunos procesos. El trabajo de síntesis también reveló la aparición de una nueva zeolita de alta densidad, llamada 'paracelsio-K'. Este nuevo material se ha obtenido al explorar el espacio de fases que cristalizan al, [CA] El Projecte d'investigació aquí descrit s'estructura en dos parts. La primera part se centra en la investigació fonamental amb l'objectiu de crear un protocol per a la síntesis de zeolites. La segona part es refereix al disseny, síntesis i caracterització de noves zeolites, particularment útils per a aplicacions DeNOx , però també podria ser útil per a aplicacions MTO. La investigació fonamental suggereix un nou model de preparació de zeolites utilitzant altres zeolites com a llavor. Aquest procés s'anomena transformació zeolita-zeolita o també conversió interzeolita. L'alt rendiment obtingut, la ràpida cristal·lització i la millor utilització i rendiment dels materials de partida s'han tingut en compte per millorar el procés en base a un projecte de doctorat finançat per una empresa. Aquest mètode s'ha il·lustrat utilitzant diverses zeolites com a llavor, entre altres FAU i CHA, per a la preparació de les dues zeolites objectiu: AEI i AFX. A la segona part, la investigació se centra en el disseny de noves zeolites de porus mitjà. S'han seleccionat tres zeolites hipotètiques d'una base de dades de 933.611 estructures. Aquesta selecció s'ha realitzat utilitzant descriptors específicament dissenyats sobre la base de l'aplicabilitat d'aquestes zeolites en processos DeNOx zeolites. A continuació s'han buscat els agents directors d'estructura (ADE) més apropiats, amb l'ajuda de mètodes computacionals, alguns dels quals s'han sintetitzat posteriorment. L'ús d'aquests ADE al gel de síntesi ha permès l'obtenció d'una zeolita la topologia (ERI) ha estat identificada mitjançant anàlisi per PXRD, i la morfologia i mida de vidre (particularment petit) la fan molt adequada per al seu ús com a catalitzador en alguns processos. El treball de síntesi també va revelar l'aparició d'una nova zeolita d'alta densitat, anomenada 'paracelsio-K'. Aquest nou material s'ha obtingut a explorar l'espai de fases que cristal·litzen en utilitzar 1-methyl-DABCO com ADE. La síntesi d'aquesta z, [EN] The research project described herein is structured in two parts. The first part is focused on the fundamental research with the aim of creating a toolbox for zeolite preparation. The second part deal with the design, synthesis and characterization of novel zeolites particular useful for DeNOx applications, but could be also useful for MTO applications. The fundamental research is addressing a novel approach of preparing zeolites by using other zeolites as raw materials. This process is known as zeolite-to-zeolite transformation or interzeolite conversion. The high yield obtained, fast crystallization time and the better utilization of the raw materials (e.g. parent zeolite, organic structure directing agent (OSDA)), are important benefits of interzeolite conversion technic, which answer the objectives formulated for an industrial PhD project. The method has been exemplified by using various raw materials as parent zeolites, such as FAU and CHA for the preparation of two target small pore zeolites AEI and AFX. In the second part the focus has been on the design of novel small pore zeolites. Three hypothetical frameworks have been selected by narrowing down a database containing 933611 structures. The selection has been performed by using the general descriptors for the state-of-the-art DeNOx zeolites (e.g. CHA). This was followed by finding suitable OSDAs for the selected frameworks, by using computational methods. The usage of the theoretically predicted OSDAs in synthesis gels made possible the synthesis of a novel high-silica zeolite. PXRD analysis, revealed that the zeolite has the ERI framework topology. The obtained material has a distinct particle morphology and smaller crystallites, which are key parameters for various catalytic processes. The synthesis work revealed also a novel dense zeolite, named K-paracelsian. The new material has been obtained while exploring the phase space using 1-methyl-DABCO as OSDA. The synthesis of this zeolite is especially

[ES] Las zeolitas son materiales microporosos cristalinos formados por una red de tetraedros TO4 (T = Si, Al, Ti, ...) interconectados entre sí compartiendo átomos de oxígeno, que generan estructuras tridimensionales definidas por poros y cavidades de dimensiones moleculares. Su capacidad como tamices moleculares, junto con la gran diversidad de sólidos zeolíticos descritos en lo que respecta a topologías de poro, tipos de cavidades, composición química y propiedades texturales, hace de este tipo de materiales importantes catalizadores heterogéneos en procesos de gran interés para la industria química. La presente tesis doctoral busca la síntesis de zeolitas con propiedades fisicoquímicas y texturales controladas, especialmente en lo referente al tipo de cavidad catalítica, la distribución de los centros activos y el control del tamaño de cristal, para su posterior aplicación como catalizadores en reacciones de interés. La primera parte de este trabajo se centra en la síntesis de zeolitas de poro pequeño de estructura tipo CHA con una distribución homogénea de los centros ácidos de aluminio a lo largo de todo el cristal. Para ello, se ha combinado el uso de un agente director específico para dicha estructura con precursores cristalinos. El procedimiento utilizado permite la preparación del material con un tamaño de cristal nanométrico. Esta zeolita ha mostrado ser un catalizador eficiente y estable para el proceso de metanol a olefinas ligeras, alternativa de gran interés en la actualidad frente al uso del petróleo como precursor de ese tipo de compuestos. En la segunda parte de la tesis doctoral se presentan nuevos agentes directores de estructura orgánicos (ADEOs) de constitución sencilla, formados por una parte cíclica directora y una cadena alifática corta, que permiten la preparación de zeolitas clásicas (ZSM-5, Beta y MCM-22) en sus formas nanocristalinas. El control de las propiedades texturales, especialmente en lo que concierne al tamaño de cristal, implica, [CA] Les zeolites són materials microporosos cristal·lins formats per una xarxa de tetraedres TO4 (T = Si, Al, Ti, ...) interconnectats entre si compartint àtoms d'oxigen, que generen estructures tridimensionals definides per porus i cavitats de dimensions moleculars. La seva capacitat com tamisos moleculars, juntament amb la gran diversitat de sòlids zeolítics descrits pel que fa a tipologies de porus, cavitats, composició química i propietats texturals, fa d'aquest tipus de materials importants catalitzadors heterogenis en processos de gran interès per la indústria química. La present tesi doctoral busca la síntesi de zeolites amb propietats fisicoquímiques i texturals controlades, especialment pel que fa al tipus de cavitat catalítica, la distribució dels centres actius i el control de la grandària de cristall, per a la seua posterior aplicació com a catalitzadors en reaccions d'interès. La primera part d'aquest treball se centra en la síntesi de la zeolita de porus petit CHA amb una distribució homogènia dels centres àcids d'alumini al llarg de tot el cristall. Per a això, s'ha combinat l'ús d'un agent director d'estructura orgànic (ADEO) específic per aquesta estructura amb precursors cristal·lins. El procediment utilitzat permet la preparació del material amb una grandària de cristall nanomètrica. Aquesta zeolita ha mostrat ser un catalitzador eficient i estable per al procés de metanol a olefines lleugeres, alternativa de gran interès en l'actualitat davant l'ús del petroli com a precursor d'aquest tipus de compostos. A la segona part de la tesi doctoral es presenten nous ADEOs de constitució senzilla, formats per una part cíclica directora i una cadena alifàtica curta, que permeten la preparació de zeolites clàssiques i de rellevància industrial (ZSM-5, Beta i MCM-22) en les seves formes nanocristal·lines. El control de les propietats texturals, especialment pel que fa a la grandària de cristall, implica importants millores catalítiques en processos amb limi, [EN] Zeolites are crystalline microporous materials formed by interconnected TO4 tetrahedra (T = Si, Al, Ti, ...), which create three-dimensional structures defined by pores and cavities of molecular dimensions. Their capacity as molecular sieves, together with the fine-tune control of their properties, including pore topology, cavities, chemical composition or textural properties, among others, make zeolites essential heterogeneous catalysts for industrially-relevant chemical processes. This doctoral thesis seeks the synthesis of zeolites with controlled physicochemical and textural properties, especially focusing on the type of the catalytic cavity, the distribution of the active sites and the control of the crystal size, for their application as heterogeneous catalysts in reactions of interest. The first part of this work attempts the synthesis of the small pore CHA zeolite with a homogeneous distribution of the acidic aluminium centres through the entire crystals. For this, the use of a specific organic structure-directing agent (OSDA) for this zeolite has been combined with crystalline precursors. The procedure described allows the preparation of the high-silica CHA material with a nanometric crystal size. This zeolite performs as an efficient and stable catalyst for the transformation of methanol to light olefins process, which has been proposed as an attractive alternative to the petroleum-based route to obtain these products. In the second part of this thesis, new simple OSDAs combining a directing cyclic part and a short aliphatic chain have been proposed for the preparation of classical and industrially-relevant zeolites (ZSM-5, Beta and MCM-22) in their nanocrystalline forms. The control of textural properties, especially with regard to crystal size, implies significant catalytic improvements in processes with diffusion limitations for reagents and/or products. In this sense, the development of efficient synthesis methods employing low-cost OSDA molecules

[EN] The present thesis focuses on the rationalization of the zeolite synthesis for catalysis by understanding the nature of active sites and their microenvironments, together with their influence on the mechanisms of catalyzed reactions. In the first part of the thesis, efforts have been put on attempting to achieve the regioselective locating of active sites in zeolite catalyst and, more specifically, on tunning acid site locations in zeolite framework. The development of a zeolite synthesis strategy and an indicator that can describe the aluminum distribution in the zeolite framework is important to evaluate if the final objective has been achieved. In this part, in order to evaluate aluminum distribution in MFI framework, an indicator based on monomolecular and bimolecular mechanisms of n-hexene catalytic cracking was proposed. First, several ZSM-5 samples were synthesized, which have been reported in the literature to have different aluminum distributions. These samples were characterized to be analogous in physicochemical properties and, then, tested in the n-hexene cracking to justify the usefulness of the indicator proposed in this work. Using 27Al MAS NMR, the aluminum locations were proved to be different, which was also reflected by the indicator in this thesis, justifying its applicability to evaluate aluminum locations. Afterward, this indicator has been employed to check the zeolite synthesis methodology that could potentially lead to different aluminum distribution in zeolite frameworks. Then, a boron-assisted synthesis is proposed considering that boron and aluminum may have competitive positioning in ZSM-5 framework. Then, and by means of DFT calculations, we have studied if the unit cell of MFI shows different stabilities when substituted by aluminum and/or boron in different T positions. It has been found that boron location is less favored when introduced in 10-ring channels of the MFI framework, while aluminum shows no preference for positioning, [ES] La presente tesis se centra en la racionalización de la síntesis de zeolitas para su aplicación como catalizadores mediante la comprensión de la naturaleza de los sitios activos y sus microambientes, junto con su influencia en los mecanismos de las reacciones catalizadas. En la primera parte de la tesis, se han realizado esfuerzos para intentar lograr la ubicación regioselectiva de los sitios activos en el catalizador zeolítico y, más específicamente, en la ubicación controlada de sitios ácidos en la red cristalina de la zeolita. El desarrollo de una estrategia de síntesis adecuada junto con un indicador que pueda describir la distribución de aluminio en la red de la zeolita es importante para evaluar si se ha logrado el objetivo final. En esta parte, para evaluar la distribución de aluminio en la red de la zeolita MFI, se ha propuesto un indicador basado en los mecanismos monomoleculares y bimoleculares asociados a la reacción de craqueo catalítico de n-hexeno. En primer lugar, se sintetizaron varias muestras de ZSM-5, que según la literatura tienen diferentes distribuciones de aluminio. Estas muestras se caracterizaron por ser análogas en propiedades fisicoquímicas y, posteriormente, se analizaron en la reacción de craqueo de n-hexeno para justificar la utilidad del indicador propuesto en este trabajo. A partir de RMN MAS de 27Al se demostró que las ubicaciones de aluminio eran diferentes, lo que también se reflejó en el indicador propuesto en esta tesis, lo que justifica su aplicabilidad para evaluar distribuciones de aluminio. Posteriormente, este indicador se ha empleado para verificar la nueva metodología de síntesis de zeolitas que podría conducir a una distribución de aluminio diferente en sus estructuras cristalinas. En este sentido, se propone la síntesis de la zeolita ZSM-5 asistida por boro, considerando que el boro y el aluminio podrían tener un posicionamiento competitivo en la estructura MFI. Mediante cálculos de DFT, se ha estudiado si la celda, [CA] La present tesi es centra en la racionalització de la síntesi de zeolites per a la seva aplicació com a catalitzadors mitjançant la comprensió de la naturalesa dels centres actius i els seus microambientes, juntament amb la seva influència en els mecanismes de les reaccions catalitzades. A la primera part de la tesi, s'han realitzat esforços per intentar aconseguir la ubicació regioselectiva dels centres actius en el catalitzador zeolític i, més específicament, en la ubicació controlada de centres àcids en la xarxa cristal·lina de la zeolita. El desenvolupament d'una estratègia de síntesi adequada juntament amb un indicador que descriga la distribució d'alumini a la xarxa de la zeolita és important per avaluar si s'ha aconseguit l'objectiu final. En aquesta part, per avaluar la distribució d'alumini a la xarxa de la zeolita MFI, s'ha proposat un indicador basat en els mecanismes monomoleculares i bimoleculars associats a la reacció de craqueig catalític de n-hexé. En primer lloc, es van sintetitzar diverses mostres de ZSM-5, que segons la literatura tenen diferents distribucions d'alumini. Aquestes mostres es van caracteritzar per ser anàlogues en propietats fisicoquímiques i, posteriorment, es van analitzar en la reacció de craqueig de nhexéper justificar la utilitat de l'indicador proposat en aquest treball. A partir dels espectres de RMN MAS de 27Al es va demostrar que les ubicacions d'alumini eren diferents, el que també es va reflectir en l'indicador proposat en aquesta tesi, justificant la seva aplicabilitat per avaluar distintes distribucions d'alumini. Posteriorment, aquest indicador s'ha emprat per verificar la nova metodologia de síntesi de zeolites que podria conduir a una distribució d'alumini diferent al llarg de les seves estructures cristal·lines. En aquest sentit, s’ha proposat la síntesi de la zeolita ZSM-5 assistida per bor, considerant que el bor i l'alumini podrien tenir un posicionament competitiu en l'estructura MFI. Mitjançant càlculs de

This document is the Accepted Manuscript version of a Published Work that appeared in final form in Chemistry of Materials, copyright © American Chemical Society after peer review and technical editing by the publisher. To access the final edited and published work see https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.chemmater.9b01229., [EN] A hypothetical zeolite framework was selected from a database of hypothetical structures and adapted based on the structural features relevant for deNOx and MTO catalysis. To attempt the realization of this structure, a computational energy-based approach was applied to select relevant organic structure directing agent (OSDA) molecules with large OSDA-zeolite stabilization energies, leading to the selection of three OSDAs (OSDA1, OSDA2, and OSDA3) as potential candidates for the synthesis of the hypothetical zeolite (Hypo#1). Instead of Hypo#1, erionite (ERI) was found to dominate the experimental product outcome when potassium was used as a mineralizing agent. In the case of OSDA3, a novel high-silica ERI was found. The different ERI products were characterized, intergrowth structures ruled out, and special attention was paid to the compositional and morphological features arising from the use of the different OSDAs. In the specific high-Si product obtained using OSDA3, a distinct tubular to prismatic crystal morphology could be seen. Theoretical stabilization energies calculated for potentially competing phases (Hypo#1, ERI, offretite (OFF), and chabazite (CHA) among others) could be used to rationalize the experimental outcome to a certain extent, but our results also show that only considering zeolite-OSDA interaction is probably not sufficient to realize hypothetical frameworks, especially for Al-containing zeolites where alkali ions play an important role during crystallization.

[EN] Based on theoretical calculations of CO, NH3, and pyridine adsorption at different sites in MOR and MFI zeolites, we analyze how confinement effects influence the measurement of acidity based on the interaction of probe molecules with Brönsted acid sites. Weak bases, such as CO, form neutral ZH¿CO adducts with a linear configuration that can be distorted by spatial restrictions associated with the dimensions of the pore, leading to weaker interaction, but can also be stabilized by dispersion forces if a tighter fitting with the channel void is allowed. Strong bases such as NH3 and pyridine are readily protonated on Brönsted acid sites, and the experimentally determined adsorption enthalpies include not only the thermochemistry associated with the proton transfer process itself, but also the stabilization of the Z¿¿BH+ ion pair formed upon protonation by multiple interactions with the surrounding framework oxygen atoms, leading in some cases to a heterogeneity of acidities within the same zeolite structure.