The catalytic properties of Pd@ZrO2 core–shell catalysts supported on Si-modified alumina were studied for application to methane oxidation and compared to the analogous Pd@CeO2 catalysts. In the absence of water (dry conditions), both Pd@ZrO2 and Pd@CeO2 were highly active and showed nearly identical reaction rates and thermal stabilities. However, unlike catalysts based on Pd@CeO2, the Pd@ZrO2 catalysts were also very stable in the presence of high concentrations of water vapor. By means of Coulometric titration and pulse-reactor studies, we demonstrate that ZrO2 in contact with Pd can be reduced. Additionally, Coulometric titration showed that the Pd-PdO equilibrium at 600 °C is shifted to much lower P­(O2) in the Pd@ZrO2 catalyst compared to conventional Pd/ZrO2 or Pd/Al2O3 catalysts. Because PdO is more active for methane oxidation, this observation provides a possible explanation for the superior performance of the Pd@ZrO2 catalyst.

CH 4 adsorption was studied experimentally and theoretically on ZSM-5, MOR, and ZSM-12 zeolites using calorimetric measurements at 195 K and plane wave DFT calculations. Differential heats measured on four different H-ZSM-5 samples were determined to be 22.5 ± 1 kJ/mol, independent of Brønsted site density or defect concentration. However, DFT calculations performed using various functionals and on the most stable Brønsted site indicated that CH 4 should bind to this site by an additional 1−7 kJ/mol, a discrepancy that is due to the inability of standard DFT methods to capture hydrogen-bonding effects accurately with CH 4 . Differential heats for CH 4 in MOR were 30 ± 1 kJ/mol at low coverages, falling to 25 kJ/mol for coverages above one molecule per 8-membered-ring side pocket, while differential heats on ZSM-12 were initially 22.5 kJ/mol, decreasing to 21 kJ/ mol with coverage. DFT calculations on the siliceous form of the zeolites were able to predict these values within 5 kJ/mol in most cases. The results indicate that CH 4 is an excellent probe molecule for characterizing the pore structure of zeolites.

The supercritical, high-pressure reaction of n-hexane over H-ZSM-5, with and without the addition of Pt and Ga, has been studied for application to endothermic reforming in scramjet engines. The endothermicities of the reactions were determined from the product distributions. For unpromoted H-ZSM-5, the product distribution indicated that the endothermicity is low and decreases with increasing pressure. The addition of Ga to H-ZSM-5 has a relatively small effect on n-hexane conversion but significantly increases the endothermicity of the reaction by increasing the selectivity to form small aromatics. The H­(Ga)-ZSM-5 catalyst showed no deactivation for at least 5 h at 633 K and 137 bar of n-hexane. By contrast, the addition of Pt had a minor effect on both the rate and the reaction endothermicity.

The addition of Zn to H-ZSM-5 zeolites was studied for application to endothermic reforming in hypersonic aircraft engines. Temperature-programmed-desorption (TPD)/thermogravimetric-analysis (TGA) measurements with 2-propanamine on two H­(Zn)-ZSM-5 samples showed that at low ion-exchange levels, less than 0.5 Zn/Al, each Zn cation displaces one Brønsted-acid site. Although rates for n-hexane conversion at 633 and 823 K and at a pressure of 137 bar decreased with the loss of Brønsted sites, Zn promotion greatly increased the production of H2 and the formation of small aromatic molecules. FTIR of adsorbed acetonitrile-d 3 and calorimetric measurements of adsorbed CO at 195 K indicate that the exchanged Zn cations form Lewis-acid centers. A model in which the Zn cations, acting as Lewis-acid centers, polarize intermediates formed at Brønsted sites is presented as a way of understanding the observations.

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