A process for producing a ceramic catalyst involves the steps of: a) providing functional particles having a catalytically inactive pore former as a support surrounded by a layer of a catalytically active material, b) processing the functional particles with inorganic particles to form a catalytic composition, c) treating the catalytic composition thermally to form a ceramic catalyst, wherein the ceramic catalyst comprises at least porous catalytically inactive cells which are formed by the pore formers in the functional particles, which are embedded in a matrix comprising the inorganic particles, which form a porous structure and which are at least partly surrounded by an active interface layer comprising the catalytically active material of the layer of the functional particles. An SCR catalyst produced in by this method has an improved NO.sub.x conversion rate compared to a conventionally produced SCR catalyst.

The present invention provides amorphous bi-functional catalytic aluminum metallic glass particles having an aluminum metallic glass core and 2 or more transition metals disposed on the surface of the aluminum metallic glass core to form amorphous bi-functional aluminum metallic glass particles with catalytic activity.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for regenerating a catalyst for butadiene production, for removing a coke-like substance which is generated by oxidative dehydrogenation of n-butene in the presence of a catalyst for butadiene production and which is attached to the catalyst and the inside of a reactor. After the catalyst is used in oxidative dehydrogenation of butenes, the catalyst regeneration method of the present invention removes a coke-like substance in a reactor which is charged with the catalyst for butadiene production, the catalyst having a prescribed composition before being used in the oxidative dehydrogenation.

A catalyst for treating fuel combustion exhaust, the catalyst comprising the following components: (i) an oxide support comprising silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, or combination of silicon and aluminum oxides; (ii) cerium oxide, zirconium oxide, or a combination of cerium and zirconium oxides in contact with said oxide support; and (iii) nanoparticles comprising elemental palladium or platinum in contact with at least component (ii), wherein said palladium or platinum is present in an amount of 0.1-4 wt. % by weight of the particles, and wherein surfaces of said nanoparticles of elemental palladium or palladium are exposed and accessible to said fuel combustion exhaust. Methods of producing and using the catalyst are also described.

Core-shell nanoparticulate compositions and methods for making the same are disclosed. In some embodiments core-shell nanoparticulate compositions comprise transition metal core encapsulated by metal oxide shell. Methods of catalysis comprising core-shell nanoparticulate compositions of the invention are disclosed. Compositions comprising core-shell nanoparticles displayed on a metal-oxide support and methods for preparing the same are also disclosed. In some embodiments compositions comprise core-shell nanoparticles displayed as a substantially single layer superposed on a metal oxide support. Methods of catalysis employing the supported core-shell nanoparticles are disclosed.

Provided are (i) a catalyst that has a core-shell structure and is highly active in an oxygen reduction reaction, which is a cathode reaction of a fuel cell, and (ii) a reaction acceleration method in which the catalyst is used. A core-shell catalyst for accelerating an oxygen reduction reaction, contains: silver or palladium as a core material; and platinum as a shell material, the core-shell catalyst having, on a surface thereof, a (110) surface of a face centered cubic lattice.

Nickel-based catalysts comprising silicon modified nickel (nickel silicate) are provided, as are methods for using the catalysts to i) convert methane to CO and H.sub.2 (e.g. for use in synthetic chemical compound production); or to ii) convert methane to oxygenated hydrocarbons e.g. one or more of methanol, acetone, formaldehyde, and dimethyl ether. The catalysts are bifunctional and comprise both Ni metallic catalytic sites and acidic nickel-silicon catalytic sites, and the conversions are performed under moderate reaction conditions.

A variety of redox catalysts, methods of making, and methods of using thereof are provided. Surface modified redox catalysts are provided having an oxygen carrier core with an outer surface that has been modified to enhance the selectivity of the redox catalyst for oxidative dehydrogenation. The surface modification can include forming a redox catalyst outer layer on the outer surface and/or suppressing sites that form nonselective electrophilic oxygen sites on the outer surface of the oxygen carrier. A variety of methods are provided for making the surface modified redox catalysts, e.g. modified Pechini methods. A variety of methods are provided for using the catalysts for oxidative cracking of light paraffins. Methods are provided for oxidative cracking of light paraffins by contacting the paraffin with a core-shell redox catalyst described herein to convert the paraffins to water and olefins, diolefins, or a combination thereof.

The present invention relates to a supported catalyst having a structure in which a metal catalyst is supported on a core-shell structured support. The support includes core particles and shell particles having a smaller particle diameter than the core particles and coated on the core particles to form a shell layer. Due to this structure, the supported catalyst can be used to produce carbon nanostructures that form a novel secondary structure in which ends of the carbon nanostructures are supported on the supported catalyst and form independent branches and the opposite ends grow and are assembled together. The novel structure is expected to find application in various fields, such as energy materials, functional composites, pharmaceuticals, batteries, and semiconductors, because of its characteristic shape.

Shaped porous carbon products and processes for preparing these products are provided. The shaped porous carbon products can be used, for example, as catalyst supports and adsorbents. Catalyst compositions including these shaped porous carbon products, processes of preparing the catalyst compositions, and various processes of using the shaped porous carbon products and catalyst compositions are also provided.