The present disclosure features a method of making an engine aftertreatment catalyst, where the engine aftertreatment catalyst includes a metal oxide, a metal zeolite, and/or vanadium oxide when the metal oxide is different from vanadium oxide, each of which can be independently surface-modified with a surface modifier. The method includes providing a solution including an organic solvent and an organometallic compound; mixing the solution with a metal oxide, a metal zeolite, and/or a vanadium oxide to provide a mixture; drying the mixture; and calcining the mixture to provide a surface-modified metal oxide catalyst, a surface-modified metal zeolite catalyst, and/or a surface-modified vanadium oxide catalyst. The organometallic compound can be, for example, a metal alkoxide, a metal carboxylate, a metal acetylacetonate, and/or a metal organic acid ester.

In one aspect, the present invention provides catalysts for the carbonylation of heterocycles. The inventive catalysts feature metal-ligand complexes having cationic functional groups tethered to the ligand, wherein the tethered cationic groups are associated with anionic metal carbonyl species. The invention also provides methods of using the inventive catalysts to affect the ring opening carbonylation of epoxides.

The present invention relates to catalyst compositions comprising nanoparticles comprising one or more elements selected from a group 10 element, cocatalysts, catalyst promoters and organic molecules as organic stabilizing agents, in adequate porous supports. The invention also includes a particular mode of preparing the catalyst composition and the use of the catalyst in selective non-oxidative dehydrogenation of alkanes.