A method for producing a conjugated diene according to one aspect of the present invention comprises a step of contacting a raw material gas containing an alkane with a first catalyst and a second catalyst in this order to obtain a product gas containing a conjugated diene. In the production method, the first catalyst contains Sn and Pt, and a content of Sn in the first catalyst is less than 12% by mass based on the total mass of the first catalyst; and the second catalyst contains Sn and Pt, and a content of Sn in the second catalyst is 12% by mass or more based on the total mass of the second catalyst.

A method for obtaining a photocatalytic polymer is provided. The method is carried out by mixing aluminium trihydroxide (ATH) and a photocatalytic particle in a polar solvent at a pH between 5 and 7 under stirring, adding silane or siloxane, stirring for a period of time of 100 min at a temperature between 30 and 50 C., extracting the solid phase being formed and drying for obtaining a photocatalytic additive, adding the photocatalytic additive to an acrylic or polyester resin and polymerizing. The method may be applied onto any type of polymer base, such as vinyl, fluoropolymers, polyamide, polycarbonates, polyethylene or epoxides. Another aspect of the invention is the photocatalytic additive being obtained. The resulting polymer shows catalytic homogeneity, operating the photocatalytic particles in all the surfaces of the material with the same activity.

A method is described for preparing an eggshell catalyst comprising the steps of: (i) preparing a calcined shaped alkaline earth metal aluminate catalyst support, (ii) treating the calcined shaped alkaline earth metal aluminate support with a gas containing water vapour to form a hydrated support, (iii) with or without an intervening drying step, impregnating the hydrated support with an acidic solution containing one or more catalytic metal compounds and drying the impregnated support, (iv) calcining the dried impregnated support, to form a calcined catalyst having a catalytic metal oxide concentrated at the surface of the support and (v) optionally repeating steps (ii), (iii) and (iv).

A group of reductive 2D materials (R2D) with extended reactive vacancies and a method for making the R2D with extended reactive vacancies are provided, especially the example of the reductive boron nitride (RBN). To create defects such as vacancies, boron nitride (BN) powders are milled at cryogenic temperatures. Vacancies are produced by milling, and the vacancies can be used to reduce various metal nanostructures on RBN. Due to the thermal stability of the RBN and the enhanced catalytic performance of metal nanostructures, RBN-metals can be used for different catalysts, including electrochemical catalysts and high temperature catalysts.

The present invention relates in part to a method of fabricating multimetallic nanoparticles, the method comprising the steps of providing a substrate; activating the substrate surface; adsorbing a cationic transition metal complex onto the substrate surface to form a substrate-supported cationic transition metal complex; adsorbing an anionic transition metal complex onto the substrate-supported cationic transition metal complex to form a substrate-supported multimetallic complex salt; and reducing the substrate-supported multimetallic complex salt to provide a plurality of multimetallic nanoparticles. The invention also relates in part to a composition of multimetallic nanoparticles comprising at least two metals M.sub.a and M.sub.b; wherein the ratio of M.sub.a to M.sub.b is between about 2:1 and about 1:2.

The invention provides a method for the production of a zeolite particle composition which has optimized characteristics, such as enhanced adsorption and specific ion exchange properties. A method and an apparatus for producing improved zeolite particle compositions are provided, where the particles are treated with an oxygen-containing gas during micronisation. The zeolite particle compositions can be used in a method for treatment of the human or animal body by therapy and/or prophylaxis, and specifically in a method of treating or preventing conditions of the human or animal body or symptoms of these conditions that are related to heavy metals, endotoxins, exotoxins, and/or bacterial, viral or parasitic intoxications in or of the digestive system, mucosal surfaces or the skin. Also, new zeolite particle compositions can be used as food additive, as filter for purification of water, in packaging materials, or as cosmetic ingredient.

The invention relates to a process for preparing a shaped CuAl catalyst body for the hydrogenation of organic compounds containing a carbonyl function. More particularly, the shaped catalyst body is suitable for the hydrogenation of aldehydes, ketones and of carboxylic acids or esters thereof, specifically of fatty acids or esters thereof, such as fatty acid methyl esters, to the corresponding alcohols such as butanediol. The present invention further relates to CuAl catalysts obtainable by the preparation process.

A silicon carbide porous body includes: (A) silicon carbide particles as an aggregate; and (B) at least one selected from the group consisting of metallic silicon, alumina, silica, mullite and cordierite. The silicon carbide porous body has amorphous and/or crystalline SiO.sub.2 or SiO on a surface(s) of the component (A) and/or the component (B). The silicon carbide porous body contains 6% by mass or less of -cristobalite in the amorphous and/or crystalline SiO.sub.2 or SiO.

An oxidation catalyst includes cerium dioxide particles and a metal oxide. The cerium dioxide particles contain an ancillary component that is at least one of lanthanum, aluminum, and iron. The metal oxide contains iron and manganese and is held by the cerium dioxide particles.

The present invention relates to an oligomerization catalyst for oligomerization of low-molecular-weight olefins, to the use of said catalyst and to a process for oligomerization of low-molecular-weight olefins using the oligomerization catalyst according to the invention.