Evidence of the vital role of the pore network on various catalytic conversions of N2O over Fe-silicalite and Fe-SBA-15 with the same iron constitution

Fe-silicalite and Fe-SBA-15 with similar iron content have been characterized by N2 adsorption, small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), high-resolution transmission electron micrographs (HRTEM), UV–vis–DRS and EPR, and tested in direct N2O decomposition, N2O reduction by CO and N2O-mediated propane oxidative dehydrogenation. Both catalysts contain almost exclusively isolated Fe3+ sites of similar concentration and structure, which are, however, stabilized in markedly different pore geometries (intersecting channels of ca. 0.55 nm diameter in Fe-silicalite versus parallel linear pores of ca. 7.5 nm diameter in Fe-SBA-15). This aspect is of vital importance in order to exclusively ascribe different catalytic performances to the environment where the iron species are stabilized. Fe-silicalite revealed to be much more active than Fe-SBA-15 in all reactions studied. This clearly illustrates that the confinement of the iron species in pores of suitable geometry (structure and size) is essential to originate their remarkable catalytic properties. The large pores in ordered mesoporous materials apparently do not generate the required intimate contact between potentially active Fe sites and reactant molecules.