The present invention relates to a catalyst for aromatization of alkanes having 4 to 7 carbon atoms, especially alkanes having carbon atoms. Said catalyst has the efficacy in the aromatics production with high conversion and high selectivity of aromatics or high yield of aromatics, wherein said catalyst comprises zeolite, at least 1 transition metal from group VIII transition metal in a range of 0.1 to 2% by weight based on the total weight of the catalyst, and at least 1 metal from group IIIA metal in a range of 0.1 to 5% by weight based on the total weight of the catalyst. Said catalyst is treated and dried with a microwave at a power in a range from 400 to 1,000 watts after step of contacting with a solution comprising at least 1 transition metal salt from group VIII transition metal and after step of contacting with a solution comprising at least 1 group IIIA metal salt. Moreover, this invention also relates to a process for preparing said catalyst and a process of aromatics preparation using said catalyst.

A method to predict the catalytic activity of a metal oxide of formula M.sub.xO.sub.y where x is a number from 1 to 3 and y is a number from 1 to 8 is provided. The metal of the metal oxide has redox coupled oxidation states wherein the redox transformation is between oxidation states selected from the group consisting of a diamagnetic oxidation state (M.sup.d+) and a paramagnetic oxidation state (M.sup.p+), a paramagnetic oxidation state (M.sup.p+) and a ferromagnetic oxidation state (M.sup.f+), and a paramagnetic oxidation state (M.sup.p+) and an antiferromagnetic oxidation state (M.sup.a+)where d, p, f and a are independently numbers from 1 to 6 and one of the oxidation states (M.sup.d+), (M.sup.p+), (M.sup.f+), and (M.sup.a+) is formed by reduction by the O.sup.2. The magnetic susceptibility of the metal oxide as a sample in an oxygen environment at a specified temperature is correlated with a value of (M.sup.d+ or M.sup.p+ or M.sup.f+ or M.sup.a+)/g (O.sub.2 rich). Then the magnetic susceptibility of the metal oxide as a sample in an oxygen free environment at the specified temperature is measured and correlated with a value of number of (M.sup.d+ or M.sup.p+ or M.sup.f+ or M.sup.a+)/g (O.sub.2 deficient). The catalytic activity is predicted based on the difference of these two numbers.

The present disclosure provides a method for synthesizing fibrous silica nanospheres, the method can include, in sequence, the steps of: a) providing a reaction mixture comprising a silica precursor, a hydrolyzing agent, a template molecule, a cosurfactant and one or more solvents; b) maintaining the reaction mixture under stirring for a length of time; c) heating the reaction mixture to a temperature for a length of time; d) cooling the reaction mixture to obtain a solid, and (e) calcinating the solid to pro duce fibrous silica nanospheres, wherein desirable product characteristics such as particle size, fiber density, surface area, pore volume and pore size can be obtained by controlling one or more parameters of the method. The present disclosure further provides a method for synthesizing fibrous silica nanospheres using conventional heating such as refluxing the reactants in an open reactor, thereby eliminating the need for microwave heating in a closed reactor or the need for any pressure reactors.

Method for the preparation of a catalysed monolithic body or a catalysed particulate filter by capillary suction of sol-solution containing catalytically active material and metal oxide catalyst carriers or precursors thereof into pores of monolithic substrate.

A method for producing a cluster-supporting catalyst, the cluster-supporting catalyst including porous carrier particles that has acid sites, and catalyst metal clusters supported within the pores of the porous carrier particles, includes the following steps: providing a dispersion liquid containing a dispersion medium and the porous carrier particles dispersed in the dispersion medium; and in the dispersion liquid, forming catalyst metal clusters having a positive charge, and supporting the catalyst metal clusters on the acid sites within the pores of the porous carrier particles through an electrostatic interaction.

An improved cluster-supporting catalyst has heteroatom-removed zeolite particles, and catalyst metal clusters supported within the pores of the heteroatom-removed zeolite particles. A method for producing a cluster-supporting catalyst includes the following steps: providing a dispersion liquid containing a dispersion medium and the heteroatom-removed zeolite particles dispersed in the dispersion medium; and in the dispersion liquid, forming catalyst metal clusters having a positive charge, and supporting the catalyst metal clusters within the pores of the heteroatom-removed zeolite particles through an electrostatic interaction.

Cluster-supporting catalyst having an improved heat resistivity, and method for producing the same are provided. The cluster-supporting catalyst includes boron-substitute zeolite particles, and catalyst metal clusters supported within the pores of the boron-substitute zeolite particles. The method for producing a cluster-supporting catalyst, includes the following steps: providing a dispersion liquid containing a dispersion medium and boron-substitute zeolite particles dispersed in the dispersion medium; and in the dispersion liquid, forming catalyst metal clusters having a positive charge, and supporting the catalyst metal clusters on the acid sites within the pores of the boron-substitute zeolite particles through an electrostatic interaction.

Method of preparing monolithic SCR catalyst with a plurality of gas flow channels comprising the steps of (a) providing a monolithic shaped substrate with a plurality of parallel gas flow channels; (b) coating the substrate with a wash coat slurry comprising vanadium oxide precursor compounds and titania and optionally tungsten oxide precursor compounds; and (c) drying the thus coated substrate with a drying rate of 5 mm/min or less along flow direction through the gas flow channels; and (d) activating the dried coated substrate by calcining.

Method of preparing a monolithic SCR catalyst with a plurality of gas flow channels comprising the steps of (a) providing a monolithic shaped substrate with a plurality of parallel gas flow channels; (b) coating the substrate with a washcoat slurry comprising titania; (c) drying and calcining the washcoat slurry; (d) impregnating the dried and calcined washcoat with an 10 aqueous impregnation solution comprising a precursor of a vanadium oxide; (e) drying the thus coated and impregnated washcoat at a drying rate of 5 mm/min or less along flow direction through the gas flow channels; and 15 (f) activating the dried, coated and impregnated washcoat by calcining.

Disclosed herein are carbon doped tin disulphide (CSnS.sub.2) and other SnS.sub.2 composites as visible light photocatalyst for CO.sub.2 reduction to solar fuels. The in situ carbon doped SnS.sub.2 photocatalyst provide higher efficiency than the undoped pure SnS.sub.2. Also disclosed herein are methods for preparing the catalysts.