Probing the Evolution of Water Clusters During Hydration of the Solid Acid Catalyst H-ZSM-5

Kenneth D M Harris (1) , Mingcan Xu (1) , John Meurig Thomas (2)

1 Cardiff University
2 CAM - University of Cambridge [UK]

A technique developed recently for in situ solid-state 1H NMR studies of adsorption processes is applied to probe hydration of the solid acid catalyst H-ZSM-5, yielding information on the interaction between the adsorbed water molecules and Brønsted acid sites on the H-ZSM-5 host material. Quantitative analysis of the results from the in situ experiment allows the average size of water clusters associated with the Brønsted acid sites to be determined directly, and suggests that there is a preference to form clusters comprising 5 – 6 water molecules. The in situ 1H NMR data also provide insights on kinetic aspects of the adsorption process.

Mots clés: Physical Sciences

Kenneth D M Harris, Mingcan Xu, John Meurig Thomas. Probing the Evolution of Water Clusters During Hydration of the Solid Acid Catalyst H-ZSM-5. Philosophical Magazine, 2009, 89 (33), pp.3001-3012. ⟨10.1080/14786430903164606⟩. ⟨hal-00529576⟩