Investigation of the Ethanol Dehydration to Ethene Reaction on H-SSZ-13 Molecular Sieve by in situ Solid-state NMR Spectroscopy

In situ solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (ssNMR) techniques under continuous flow and batch-like conditions as well as 2D 13C-13C dipolar-based COmbined R2 Driven (CORD) spin diffusion NMR experiments were utilized to investigate the dehydration process of ethanol on molecular sieve H-SSZ-13. Kinds of intermediate species including ethanol with different adsorption orientation, diethyl ether under activated state, the surface ethoxy, triethyloxonium ion and even ethene were captured directly, and the evolution process of these intermediate species was also revealed in this paper. Moreover, it can be emphasized that the ethene species were observed in situ by ssNMR for the first time. These results enriched the fundamental research of ethanol dehydration reaction.