The reactivity of zirconium on silicon nitride enhances the conversion of propane into propylene, a key commodity chemical needed to make polypropylene. This finding hints at the reactivity researchers might achieve with other nontraditional catalysts.
Researchers discover faster, more energy-efficient way to manufacture an industrially important chemical
Converting propane into propylene typically involves a metal catalyst like chromium or platinum on a support material, such as aluminum oxide or silicon dioxide. The catalyst speeds up the reaction. However, it also necessitates high operating temperatures and energy use. For some time, Argonne chemists David Kaphan and Max Delferro have been systematically studying how nontraditional surfaces influence and promote catalysis.
They also found that the silicon nitride support enabled catalysis in a way that's faster and more energy efficient than with traditional metals on silica. As a catalyst support, silicon nitride can enhance chemical reactions on the surface of metals relative to more traditionally used oxides. Argonne researchers also collaborated with Frédéric Perras, a scientist at Ames National Laboratory, to gain a better understanding of the structure of the zirconium/silicon nitride catalyst. He used a dynamic nuclear polarization-enhanced nuclear magnetic resonance technique to analyze how silicon nitride reacts with metal sites.
Energy And Resources Materials Science Inorganic Chemistry Spintronics Organic Chemistry Petroleum Physics
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