Interfacial Coordination Chemistry for Catalyst Preparation

Abstract The concept of interfacial coordination chemistry was one of the innovation for which Michel Che became internationally known during his tenure as full professor at the Universite Pierre et Marie Curie. Isolated metal ions on oxide surfaces behave like coordination compounds to which the surface contributes not only via neutral oxo bridges but also via hydroxyl groups. The latter being pH sensitive, the surface can be charged either positively or negatively, allowing selective adsorption of transition metal ions of opposite charge. In the early eighties, examples exploiting these properties for the preparation of oxide/metal supported catalysts were still rare. This review presents Michel Che’s early studies, mostly on molybdenum and nickel ions, on which he built, developed and promoted the concept of interfacial coordination chemistry, now widely used in the field of heterogeneous catalysis. This allowed him and his close collaborators to achieve a molecular-scale understanding of several catalyst preparation procedures, such as impregnation, selective adsorption, grafting, deposition-precipitation, and zeolite functionalization. The impact and legacy of the concept of Interfacial Coordination Chemistry on the current design of improved catalytic formulations is also reviewed.