title: A Nanoarchitecture Based on Silver and Copper Oxide with an Exceptional Response in the Chlorine-Promoted Epoxidation of Ethylene.
abstract: The selective oxidation of ethylene to ethylene epoxide is highly challenging as a result of competing reaction pathways leading to the deep oxidation of both ethylene and ethylene oxide. Herein we present a novel catalyst based on silver and copper oxide with an excellent response in the selective oxidation pathway towards ethylene epoxide. The catalyst is composed of different silver nanostructures dispersed on a tubular copper oxide matrix. This type of hybrid nanoarchitecture seems to facilitate the accommodation of chlorine promoters, leading to high yields at low reaction temperatures. The stability after the addition of chlorine promoters implies a substantial improvement over the industrial practice: a single pretreatment step at ambient pressure suffices in contrast with the common practice of continuously feeding organochlorinated precursors during the reaction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology and Institute of Nanoscience of Aragon (INA), University of Zaragoza, 50018, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ramirez
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology and Institute of Nanoscience of Aragon (INA), University of Zaragoza, 50018, Zaragoza, Spain. jlhueso@unizar.es.|Networking Research Centre on Bioengineering, Biomaterials, and Nanomedicine, CIBER-BBN, 28029, Madrid, Spain. jlhueso@unizar.es.
authors.forename: Jose L
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4546-4111
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Hueso
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology and Institute of Nanoscience of Aragon (INA), University of Zaragoza, 50018, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Hugo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Suarez
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology and Institute of Nanoscience of Aragon (INA), University of Zaragoza, 50018, Zaragoza, Spain.|Networking Research Centre on Bioengineering, Biomaterials, and Nanomedicine, CIBER-BBN, 28029, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Reyes
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Mallada
authors.affiliation: Advanced Microscopy Laboratory and Institute of Nanoscience of Aragon (LMA-INA), University of Zaragoza, 50018, Zaragoza, Spain.
authors.forename: Alfonso
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ibarra
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology and Institute of Nanoscience of Aragon (INA), University of Zaragoza, 50018, Zaragoza, Spain.|Networking Research Centre on Bioengineering, Biomaterials, and Nanomedicine, CIBER-BBN, 28029, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Irusta
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Environmental Technology and Institute of Nanoscience of Aragon (INA), University of Zaragoza, 50018, Zaragoza, Spain. jesus.santamaria@unizar.es.|Networking Research Centre on Bioengineering, Biomaterials, and Nanomedicine, CIBER-BBN, 28029, Madrid, Spain. jesus.santamaria@unizar.es.
authors.forename: Jesus
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Santamaria
keywords: copper; epoxidation; ethylene oxide; heterogeneous catalysis; silver