An Atomistic Picture of Boron Oxide Catalysts for Oxidative Dehydrogenation Revealed by Ultrahigh Field 11B-17O Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy

Boron oxide/hydroxide supported on oxidized activated carbon (B/OAC) was shown to be an inexpensive catalyst for the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of propane that offers activity and selectivity comparable to boron nitride. Here, we obtain an atomistic picture of the boron oxide/hydroxide layer in B/OAC by using 35.2 T B-11 and O-17 solid-state NMR experiments. NMR spectra measured at 35.2 T resolve the boron and oxygen sites due to narrowing of the central-transition powder patterns. A 35.2 T 2D( 11)B{O-17} dipolar heteronuclear correlation NMR spectrum revealed the structural connectivity between boron and oxygen atoms. The approach outlined here should be generally applicable to determine atomistic structures of heterogeneous catalysts containing quadrupolar nuclei.

Automated summary

In this study, the atomistic structure of boron oxide/hydroxide catalyst supported on oxidized activated carbon (B/OAC) was determined using the 35.2 T B-11 and O-17 solid-state NMR experiments. The catalyst shows comparable activity and selectivity to boron nitride in the oxidative dehydrogenation (ODH) of propane. The approach used in this study can be generally applied to determine the atomistic structures of heterogeneous catalysts containing quadrupolar nuclei.