Nicola Scotti - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Nicola Scotti

Research paper thumbnail of Epoxidation of alkenes through oxygen activation over a bifunctional CuO/Al2O3 catalyst

Chemical Communications, 2013

The epoxidation of alkenes was carried out over a CuO/Al 2 O 3 catalyst using cumene as an oxygen... more The epoxidation of alkenes was carried out over a CuO/Al 2 O 3 catalyst using cumene as an oxygen carrier, through a one-pot reaction, giving high conversion and selectivity with different substrates. Trans-bmethylstyrene gave the corresponding epoxide in 95% yield after 3 h.

Research paper thumbnail of Unraveling the Role of Low Coordination Sites in a Cu Metal Nanoparticle: A Step toward the Selective Synthesis of Second Generation Biofuels

ACS Catalysis, 2014

ABSTRACT The acidity of a pre- reduced Cu /SiO2 catalyst was extensively investigated by means of... more ABSTRACT The acidity of a pre- reduced Cu /SiO2 catalyst was extensively investigated by means of FT- IR of adsorbed pyridine and by titrn. with 2- phenylethylamine in cyclohexane. Comparison with the parent CuO /SiO2 material, that was already shown to exhibit Lewis acid sites due to the high dispersion of the CuO phase, put in evidence that redn. of this phase to the metallic state increases the acidity of the material. This allowed us to set up a bifunctional catalyst showing acidic and hydrogenation activity, both ascribable to the presence of the metal particle, without the need of an acidic support. This catalyst was tested in the one pot transformation of γ- valerolactone into pentyl valerate and showed comparable activity (91 % vs 92 % conversion) and improved selectivity (92 % vs 72 %) with respect to the previously reported Cu catalyst supported on acidic material. The role of Cu in activating the substrate was also evidenced through FTIR of adsorbed γ- valerolactone.

Research paper thumbnail of ChemInform Abstract: Epoxidation of Alkenes Through Oxygen Activation over a Bifunctional CuO/Al 2 O 3 Catalyst

ChemInform, 2013

ABSTRACT A CuO/Al2O3 catalyst is shown to be highly effective for the one-pot epoxidation of olef... more ABSTRACT A CuO/Al2O3 catalyst is shown to be highly effective for the one-pot epoxidation of olefins, such as (I), (III), and (V) using cumene as solvent and oxygen carrier.

Research paper thumbnail of Effect of preparation procedure on the formation of nanostructured ceria-zirconia mixed oxide catalysts for ethyl acetate oxidation: Homogeneous precipitation with urea vs template-assisted hydrothermal synthesis

Applied Catalysis A: General, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of ChemInform Abstract: Unravelling the Properties of Supported Copper Oxide: Can the Particle Size Induce Acidic Behavior?

Research paper thumbnail of One-Pot Epoxidation of Alkenes over CuO/Al 2 O 3 Using Cumene and Oxygen

Research paper thumbnail of Investigation of Cu particles morphology on the reactivity of heterogeneous copper catalysts

Research paper thumbnail of Supported metal catalysts for free fatty acid rich residues

Research paper thumbnail of Nanostructured copper-zirconia composites as catalysts for methanol decomposition

Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2015

ABSTRACT Nanostructured mesoporous ZrO2 was obtained by hydrothermal synthesis using surfactant a... more ABSTRACT Nanostructured mesoporous ZrO2 was obtained by hydrothermal synthesis using surfactant assisted approach. Copper modifications of thus obtained ZrO2 (4-25 wt.% copper) were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation with the corresponding nitrate or acetyl acetonate precursors and further treatment in oxidative or reduction atmosphere. The obtained materials were characterized by N-2 physisorption, XRD, UV-vis, FTIR, XPS and temperature programmed reduction with hydrogen and tested as catalysts in methanol decomposition to hydrogen and CO. Selected samples were investigated after partial coverage of the surface with C-11-labeled methanol and C-11-labeled methyl formate. The formation of monolayer of finely dispersed copper oxide species on zirconia at about 4 wt.% copper loading and bulk copper nanoparticles at higher one is observed. It was assumed that zirconia support provides the formation of two types of catalytic sites: the first ones strongly adsorb methanol and exhibit predominantly dehydrogenation activity, while the others, possess acidic function. The modification of zirconia with copper significantly improves the catalytic activity and selectivity in methanol decomposition via (i) creation of additional surface acidic sites which contribute to generation of methoxy intermediates; (ii) stabilization of Cu2+-Cu+ and Cu+-Cu-0 redox pairs where the electron transfer is facilitated by zirconia support and (iii) assisting the recombination and release of hydrogen during the transformation of produced on zirconia surface intermediates.

Research paper thumbnail of A new Cu-based system for formic acid dehydrogenation

RSC Adv., 2014

ABSTRACT The production of H2 from HCOOH was achieved by using simple Cu compounds and different ... more ABSTRACT The production of H2 from HCOOH was achieved by using simple Cu compounds and different HCOOH/amine adducts. The activity is strongly dependent on the amine, more basic and bulky ones giving better results whereas the use of chelating amines is detrimental.

Research paper thumbnail of A Bifunctional Copper Catalyst for the One Pot-One Step Esterification + Hydrogenation of Tall Oil Fatty Acids

Topics in Catalysis, 2012

An efficient copper catalyst for the one-pot one-step hydrogenation ? esterification of unsaturat... more An efficient copper catalyst for the one-pot one-step hydrogenation ? esterification of unsaturated free fatty acids is described. The high selectivity in hydrogenation promoted by copper, combined with the high activity in esterification observed with solid mixed oxides allows one to directly obtain stabilized methyl esters.

Research paper thumbnail of Dispersed copper oxide: A multifaceted tool in catalysis

Inorganica Chimica Acta, 2012

The preparation of highly dispersed copper oxide over different supports by means of a simple and... more The preparation of highly dispersed copper oxide over different supports by means of a simple and versatile technique makes available a family of catalysts active for different kind of transformations. The proper choice of the inorganic matrix used as the support shapes the electronic properties of the deposited phase and, as a consequence, its catalytic behavior.

Research paper thumbnail of Unravelling the properties of supported copper oxide: can the particle size induce acidic behaviour?

Dalton Transactions, 2013

Research paper thumbnail of Bovine serum albumin as an effective surface regulating biopolymer for morphology control of gold polyhedrons

ABSTRACT Morphology control of gold nanocrystals was successfully carried out via a modified poly... more ABSTRACT Morphology control of gold nanocrystals was successfully carried out via a modified polyol process using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a surface regulating biopolymer. By combining a small amount of AgNO3 as an additive, BSA yielded regular Au octahedrons, cubes, and higher polygons owing to the underpotential deposition of Ag species onto {100} facets. Unexpectedly, a uniform tetrahexahedral morphology that had high-index facets of {740} and {210} on the surface was formed at a relatively high concentration of AgNO3 with BSA, and was due to the coordination power of BSA to a gold surface weaker than that of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone). The resulting gold polyhedrons were aggregated after the synthesis because of the partial denaturation of BSA, but the simple surface exchange with 11- mercaptoundecanoic acid enabled a stable dispersion in aqueous solution.

Research paper thumbnail of Esterification of Acidic Oils over a Versatile Amorphous Solid Catalyst

Research paper thumbnail of Dehydrogenation of cyclohexanol on copper containing catalysts: The role of the support and the preparation method

Catalysis Communications, 2012

SiO2 and Al2O3 supported copper catalysts were prepared by “chemisorption–hydrolysis” or incipien... more SiO2 and Al2O3 supported copper catalysts were prepared by “chemisorption–hydrolysis” or incipient wetness impregnation methods and investigated by XRD, TG-TPR, UV–vis diffuse reflectance and FTIR spectroscopy. Formation of finely dispersed copper oxide species was registered for the samples prepared by “chemisorption–hydrolysis” method, while a significant amount of XRD detectable copper oxide phase is registered for the SiO2 impregnated one. The latter materials possess higher catalytic selectivity in cyclohexanol dehydrogenation to cyclohexanone.

Research paper thumbnail of On the Relationships Between Catalytic Activity and Morphology of the Metallic Phase in Catalysts Prepared by Chemisorption-Hydrolysis

Research paper thumbnail of Optimization of the preparation procedure of cobalt modified silicas as catalysts in methanol decomposition

Applied Catalysis A: General, 2012

Novel modified "chemisorption-hydrolysis" technique and conventional "incipient wetness impregnat... more Novel modified "chemisorption-hydrolysis" technique and conventional "incipient wetness impregnation" procedure were compared for loading of cobalt species on mesoporous silica supports. Effect of cobalt amount, pH of the precursor solution, duration of the "chemisorption" procedure and pretreatment medium, as well as topological characteristics of the mesoporous silica support were investigated. The state of the loaded cobalt species was studied by XRD, FTIR, FTIR of adsorbed pyridine, UV-vis, XPS and TPR methods and their catalytic properties were elucidated in methanol decomposition to hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The "incipient wetness impregnation" technique facilitates the formation of finely dispersed spinel cobalt oxide species. Their catalytic activity could be significantly increased by hydrogen pretreatment, but the effect is more pronounced when mesoporous silica with ordered pseudo 1D pore structure (SBA-15) is used as a support. The modified "chemisorption-hydrolysis" procedure facilitates the formation of strongly interacting with the support cobalt species, which are stable under the reduction conditions. Their properties could be regulated during the modification procedure, by varying the cobalt content and pH of the impregnated solution as well as by the duration of the "chemisorption" procedure.

Research paper thumbnail of Structure and catalytic activity of hosted in mesoporous silicas copper species: Effect of preparation procedure and support pore topology

Applied Catalysis A: General, 2011

Copper modifications of ordered mesoporous materials with different pore topology (SBA-15 and KIT... more Copper modifications of ordered mesoporous materials with different pore topology (SBA-15 and KIT-6) were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation and "chemisorption-hydrolysis" methods and further oxidative or consecutive oxidative/reductive treatment. The samples were characterized by nitrogen physisorption, XRD, XPS, FTIR, UV-vis and TPR-TG techniques. The ordered structures and the "chemisorption-hydrolysis" post synthetic method provide the formation of homogeneously dispersed in the mesopores copper species. The "chemisorption-hydrolysis" modification of the silicas with more opened 3D ordered structure (KIT-6) provides the formation of highly active catalysts, but their activity could be easily suppressed after the treatment under the reduction medium.

Research paper thumbnail of Propene epoxidation on heterogeneous copper catalysts

... Guido Busca3, Elisabetta Finocchio3, Federica Zaccheria2, Vladimiro Dal Santo2, Rinaldo Psaro... more ... Guido Busca3, Elisabetta Finocchio3, Federica Zaccheria2, Vladimiro Dal Santo2, Rinaldo Psaro2, Laura Sordelli2 1Dip. CIMA, Università degli studi di Milano, Via Venezian 21,Milano, 20133, Italy 2ISTM-CNR, Via Golgi 19,Milano, 20133, Italy 3DICheP "GBBonino“, Univ. ...

Research paper thumbnail of Epoxidation of alkenes through oxygen activation over a bifunctional CuO/Al2O3 catalyst

Chemical Communications, 2013

The epoxidation of alkenes was carried out over a CuO/Al 2 O 3 catalyst using cumene as an oxygen... more The epoxidation of alkenes was carried out over a CuO/Al 2 O 3 catalyst using cumene as an oxygen carrier, through a one-pot reaction, giving high conversion and selectivity with different substrates. Trans-bmethylstyrene gave the corresponding epoxide in 95% yield after 3 h.

Research paper thumbnail of Unraveling the Role of Low Coordination Sites in a Cu Metal Nanoparticle: A Step toward the Selective Synthesis of Second Generation Biofuels

ACS Catalysis, 2014

ABSTRACT The acidity of a pre- reduced Cu /SiO2 catalyst was extensively investigated by means of... more ABSTRACT The acidity of a pre- reduced Cu /SiO2 catalyst was extensively investigated by means of FT- IR of adsorbed pyridine and by titrn. with 2- phenylethylamine in cyclohexane. Comparison with the parent CuO /SiO2 material, that was already shown to exhibit Lewis acid sites due to the high dispersion of the CuO phase, put in evidence that redn. of this phase to the metallic state increases the acidity of the material. This allowed us to set up a bifunctional catalyst showing acidic and hydrogenation activity, both ascribable to the presence of the metal particle, without the need of an acidic support. This catalyst was tested in the one pot transformation of γ- valerolactone into pentyl valerate and showed comparable activity (91 % vs 92 % conversion) and improved selectivity (92 % vs 72 %) with respect to the previously reported Cu catalyst supported on acidic material. The role of Cu in activating the substrate was also evidenced through FTIR of adsorbed γ- valerolactone.

Research paper thumbnail of ChemInform Abstract: Epoxidation of Alkenes Through Oxygen Activation over a Bifunctional CuO/Al 2 O 3 Catalyst

ChemInform, 2013

ABSTRACT A CuO/Al2O3 catalyst is shown to be highly effective for the one-pot epoxidation of olef... more ABSTRACT A CuO/Al2O3 catalyst is shown to be highly effective for the one-pot epoxidation of olefins, such as (I), (III), and (V) using cumene as solvent and oxygen carrier.

Research paper thumbnail of Effect of preparation procedure on the formation of nanostructured ceria-zirconia mixed oxide catalysts for ethyl acetate oxidation: Homogeneous precipitation with urea vs template-assisted hydrothermal synthesis

Applied Catalysis A: General, 2015

Research paper thumbnail of ChemInform Abstract: Unravelling the Properties of Supported Copper Oxide: Can the Particle Size Induce Acidic Behavior?

Research paper thumbnail of One-Pot Epoxidation of Alkenes over CuO/Al 2 O 3 Using Cumene and Oxygen

Research paper thumbnail of Investigation of Cu particles morphology on the reactivity of heterogeneous copper catalysts

Research paper thumbnail of Supported metal catalysts for free fatty acid rich residues

Research paper thumbnail of Nanostructured copper-zirconia composites as catalysts for methanol decomposition

Applied Catalysis B: Environmental, 2015

ABSTRACT Nanostructured mesoporous ZrO2 was obtained by hydrothermal synthesis using surfactant a... more ABSTRACT Nanostructured mesoporous ZrO2 was obtained by hydrothermal synthesis using surfactant assisted approach. Copper modifications of thus obtained ZrO2 (4-25 wt.% copper) were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation with the corresponding nitrate or acetyl acetonate precursors and further treatment in oxidative or reduction atmosphere. The obtained materials were characterized by N-2 physisorption, XRD, UV-vis, FTIR, XPS and temperature programmed reduction with hydrogen and tested as catalysts in methanol decomposition to hydrogen and CO. Selected samples were investigated after partial coverage of the surface with C-11-labeled methanol and C-11-labeled methyl formate. The formation of monolayer of finely dispersed copper oxide species on zirconia at about 4 wt.% copper loading and bulk copper nanoparticles at higher one is observed. It was assumed that zirconia support provides the formation of two types of catalytic sites: the first ones strongly adsorb methanol and exhibit predominantly dehydrogenation activity, while the others, possess acidic function. The modification of zirconia with copper significantly improves the catalytic activity and selectivity in methanol decomposition via (i) creation of additional surface acidic sites which contribute to generation of methoxy intermediates; (ii) stabilization of Cu2+-Cu+ and Cu+-Cu-0 redox pairs where the electron transfer is facilitated by zirconia support and (iii) assisting the recombination and release of hydrogen during the transformation of produced on zirconia surface intermediates.

Research paper thumbnail of A new Cu-based system for formic acid dehydrogenation

RSC Adv., 2014

ABSTRACT The production of H2 from HCOOH was achieved by using simple Cu compounds and different ... more ABSTRACT The production of H2 from HCOOH was achieved by using simple Cu compounds and different HCOOH/amine adducts. The activity is strongly dependent on the amine, more basic and bulky ones giving better results whereas the use of chelating amines is detrimental.

Research paper thumbnail of A Bifunctional Copper Catalyst for the One Pot-One Step Esterification + Hydrogenation of Tall Oil Fatty Acids

Topics in Catalysis, 2012

An efficient copper catalyst for the one-pot one-step hydrogenation ? esterification of unsaturat... more An efficient copper catalyst for the one-pot one-step hydrogenation ? esterification of unsaturated free fatty acids is described. The high selectivity in hydrogenation promoted by copper, combined with the high activity in esterification observed with solid mixed oxides allows one to directly obtain stabilized methyl esters.

Research paper thumbnail of Dispersed copper oxide: A multifaceted tool in catalysis

Inorganica Chimica Acta, 2012

The preparation of highly dispersed copper oxide over different supports by means of a simple and... more The preparation of highly dispersed copper oxide over different supports by means of a simple and versatile technique makes available a family of catalysts active for different kind of transformations. The proper choice of the inorganic matrix used as the support shapes the electronic properties of the deposited phase and, as a consequence, its catalytic behavior.

Research paper thumbnail of Unravelling the properties of supported copper oxide: can the particle size induce acidic behaviour?

Dalton Transactions, 2013

Research paper thumbnail of Bovine serum albumin as an effective surface regulating biopolymer for morphology control of gold polyhedrons

ABSTRACT Morphology control of gold nanocrystals was successfully carried out via a modified poly... more ABSTRACT Morphology control of gold nanocrystals was successfully carried out via a modified polyol process using bovine serum albumin (BSA) as a surface regulating biopolymer. By combining a small amount of AgNO3 as an additive, BSA yielded regular Au octahedrons, cubes, and higher polygons owing to the underpotential deposition of Ag species onto {100} facets. Unexpectedly, a uniform tetrahexahedral morphology that had high-index facets of {740} and {210} on the surface was formed at a relatively high concentration of AgNO3 with BSA, and was due to the coordination power of BSA to a gold surface weaker than that of poly(vinyl pyrrolidone). The resulting gold polyhedrons were aggregated after the synthesis because of the partial denaturation of BSA, but the simple surface exchange with 11- mercaptoundecanoic acid enabled a stable dispersion in aqueous solution.

Research paper thumbnail of Esterification of Acidic Oils over a Versatile Amorphous Solid Catalyst

Research paper thumbnail of Dehydrogenation of cyclohexanol on copper containing catalysts: The role of the support and the preparation method

Catalysis Communications, 2012

SiO2 and Al2O3 supported copper catalysts were prepared by “chemisorption–hydrolysis” or incipien... more SiO2 and Al2O3 supported copper catalysts were prepared by “chemisorption–hydrolysis” or incipient wetness impregnation methods and investigated by XRD, TG-TPR, UV–vis diffuse reflectance and FTIR spectroscopy. Formation of finely dispersed copper oxide species was registered for the samples prepared by “chemisorption–hydrolysis” method, while a significant amount of XRD detectable copper oxide phase is registered for the SiO2 impregnated one. The latter materials possess higher catalytic selectivity in cyclohexanol dehydrogenation to cyclohexanone.

Research paper thumbnail of On the Relationships Between Catalytic Activity and Morphology of the Metallic Phase in Catalysts Prepared by Chemisorption-Hydrolysis

Research paper thumbnail of Optimization of the preparation procedure of cobalt modified silicas as catalysts in methanol decomposition

Applied Catalysis A: General, 2012

Novel modified "chemisorption-hydrolysis" technique and conventional "incipient wetness impregnat... more Novel modified "chemisorption-hydrolysis" technique and conventional "incipient wetness impregnation" procedure were compared for loading of cobalt species on mesoporous silica supports. Effect of cobalt amount, pH of the precursor solution, duration of the "chemisorption" procedure and pretreatment medium, as well as topological characteristics of the mesoporous silica support were investigated. The state of the loaded cobalt species was studied by XRD, FTIR, FTIR of adsorbed pyridine, UV-vis, XPS and TPR methods and their catalytic properties were elucidated in methanol decomposition to hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The "incipient wetness impregnation" technique facilitates the formation of finely dispersed spinel cobalt oxide species. Their catalytic activity could be significantly increased by hydrogen pretreatment, but the effect is more pronounced when mesoporous silica with ordered pseudo 1D pore structure (SBA-15) is used as a support. The modified "chemisorption-hydrolysis" procedure facilitates the formation of strongly interacting with the support cobalt species, which are stable under the reduction conditions. Their properties could be regulated during the modification procedure, by varying the cobalt content and pH of the impregnated solution as well as by the duration of the "chemisorption" procedure.

Research paper thumbnail of Structure and catalytic activity of hosted in mesoporous silicas copper species: Effect of preparation procedure and support pore topology

Applied Catalysis A: General, 2011

Copper modifications of ordered mesoporous materials with different pore topology (SBA-15 and KIT... more Copper modifications of ordered mesoporous materials with different pore topology (SBA-15 and KIT-6) were prepared by incipient wetness impregnation and "chemisorption-hydrolysis" methods and further oxidative or consecutive oxidative/reductive treatment. The samples were characterized by nitrogen physisorption, XRD, XPS, FTIR, UV-vis and TPR-TG techniques. The ordered structures and the "chemisorption-hydrolysis" post synthetic method provide the formation of homogeneously dispersed in the mesopores copper species. The "chemisorption-hydrolysis" modification of the silicas with more opened 3D ordered structure (KIT-6) provides the formation of highly active catalysts, but their activity could be easily suppressed after the treatment under the reduction medium.

Research paper thumbnail of Propene epoxidation on heterogeneous copper catalysts

... Guido Busca3, Elisabetta Finocchio3, Federica Zaccheria2, Vladimiro Dal Santo2, Rinaldo Psaro... more ... Guido Busca3, Elisabetta Finocchio3, Federica Zaccheria2, Vladimiro Dal Santo2, Rinaldo Psaro2, Laura Sordelli2 1Dip. CIMA, Università degli studi di Milano, Via Venezian 21,Milano, 20133, Italy 2ISTM-CNR, Via Golgi 19,Milano, 20133, Italy 3DICheP "GBBonino“, Univ. ...