The nature and size of the real active species of nanoparticulated metal supported catalysts is still an unresolved question. The technique of choice to measure particle sizes at the nanoscale, HRTEM, has a practical limit of 1 nm. This work is aimed to identify the catalytic role of subnanometer species and methods to detect and characterize them. In this frame, we investigated the sensitivity to redox pretreatments of Ag/Fe/TiO₂, Ag/Mg/TiO₂ and Ag/Ce/TiO₂ catalysts in CO oxidation. The joint application of HRTEM, SR-XRD, DRS, XPS, EXAFS and XANES methods indicated that most of the silver in all samples is in the form of Ag species with size <1 nm. The differences in catalytic properties and sensitivity to pretreatments, observed for the studied Ag catalysts, could not be explained taking into account only the Ag particles whose size distribution is measured by HRTEM, but may be explained by the presence of the subnanometer Ag species, undetectable by HRTEM, and their interaction with supports. This result highlights their role as active species and the need to take them into account to understand integrally the catalysis by supported nanometals.

Titanosilicalite of the MFI type was obtained via a hydrothermal method. Its initial and annealed at 75 °C (TS-1P(75)) and 500 °C (TS-1P(500)) forms were studied by X-ray powder diffraction (PXRD), X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS-method), Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), temperature-programmed ammonia desorption (TPD NH₃), and pyridine adsorption (Py). The full-profile Rietveld method allowed us to observe the presence of the organic template tetrapropylammonium hydroxide (TPAOH) in the framework voids, as well as to determine the silicate module (Si/Ti = 73.5) and the distribution of Ti⁴⁺ ions over the MFI-type structure sites (Ti atoms replace Si ones in two positions: T1 and T6). The coordination numbers of titanium (CNTi = 4.6 for TS-1P and TS-1P(75), CNTi = 3.8 for TS-1P(500)) were established by the XAS-method. The catalytic activity of titanosilicalites was found in the reactions of nitrous oxide decomposition (the maximal decomposition rate is demonstrated for the TS-1P(75) sample), allyl chloride epoxidation to epichlorohydrin (the best combination of all indicators was exhibited for the TS-1P sample) and propane conversion (maximum propane conversion, and butadiene and propylene selectivity were observed in both TS-1P(75) and TS-1P(500) samples). Mechanisms for the catalytic processes are proposed. The relationship between the catalytic properties and the composition (Si/Ti), Ti⁴⁺ ion distribution over the MFI-type structure sites, the local environment of titanium ions, and the number of acid sites in the titanosilicalites are discussed.

A series of mono and bimetallic catalysts based on a Fe-Ag mixture deposited on mordenite was prepared by ion-exchange and evaluated in the catalytic activity test of the de-NO_x reaction in the presence of CO/C₃H_6. The activity results showed that the most active samples were the Fe-containing ones, and at high temperatures, a co-promoter effect of Ag on the activity of Fe catalysts was also observed. The influence of the order of cation deposition on catalysts formation and their physicochemical properties was studied by FTIR (Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy) of adsorbed NO, XANES (X-ray Absorption Near-Edge Structure), and EXAFS (Extended X-ray Absorption Fine Structure) and discussed in terms of the state of iron. Results of Fe K-edge XANES oscillations showed that, in FeMOR catalysts, iron was present in a disordered state as Fe³⁺ and Fe²⁺. In FeAgMOR, the prevailing species was Fe³⁺, while in the AgFeMOR catalyst, the state of iron was intermediate or mixed between FeMOR and FeAgMOR. The Fe K-edge EXAFS results were characteristic of a disordered phase, the first coordination sphere being asymmetric with two different Fe-O distances. In FeAgMOR and AgFeMOR, coordination of Fe-O was similar to Fe₂O₃ with a few amount of Fe²⁺ species. We may conclude that, in the bimetallic FeAgMOR and AgFeMOR samples, a certain amount of tetrahedral Al³⁺ ions in the mordenite framework is replaced by Fe³⁺ ions, confirming the previous reports that these species are active sites for the de-NO_x reaction. Based on the thermodynamic analysis and experimental data, also, it was confirmed that the order of deposition of the components influenced the mechanism of active sites’ formation during the two steps ion-exchange synthesis.