Chinese Journal of Catalysis ›› 2024, Vol. 60: 304-315.DOI: 10.1016/S1872-2067(23)64641-8

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Design of earth-abundant Ni3ZnC0.7@Ni@C catalyst for selective butadiene hydrogenation

Zhibing Chena, Xintai Chena, Yali Lva, Xiaoling Moua,b,*(), Jiahui Fana, Jingwei Lic, Li Yanc, Ronghe Lina,b,*(), Yunjie Dinga,c,d,*()   

  1. a Hangzhou Institute of Advanced studies, Zhejiang Normal University, Hangzhou 311231, Zhejiang, China
    b Key Laboratory of the Ministry of Education for Advanced Catalysis Materials, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua 321004, Zhejiang, China
    c Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Dalian 116023, Liaoning, China
    d The State Key Laboratory of Catalysis, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences 457 Zhongshan Road, Dalian 116023, Liaoning, China
  • Received:2024-01-08 Accepted:2024-03-03 Online:2024-05-18 Published:2024-05-22
  • Contact: E-mail: xiaoling.mou@zjnu.edu.cn (X. Mou), catalysis.lin@zjnu.edu.cn (R. Lin), dyj@dicp.ac.cn (Y. Ding).
  • About author:First author contact:1 Contributed equally to this work.
  • Supported by:
    National Natural Science Foundation of China(22372150);Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Foundation of China(LQ24B030012);Jinhua Science and Technology Plan Project(2022-1-078);Zhejiang Normal University(ZZ323205020521005039);Zhejiang Normal University(KYJ51020910);Zhejiang Normal University(YS304320036)

Abstract:

The pursuit of developing catalysts from earth-abundant materials to supplant those based on precious metals is of paramount importance in selective hydrogenations. While nickel-based systems have shown promise in the selective hydrogenation of butadiene, their practical applications are hampered by severe deactivation issues due to coke deposition and excessive hydrogenation. Here, a novel catalyst, Ni3ZnC0.7@Ni@C, is ingeniously engineered through the controlled oxidation of Ni3ZnC0.7@C. This catalyst is characterized by small Ni0 ensembles elegantly embellishing the Ni3ZnC0.7 nanoparticles, all encased within porous carbon shells. The evolutions of this catalyst, in terms of composition and structure during the oxidation process, is meticulously observed and characterized using a spectrum of advanced techniques. The Ni3ZnC0.7@Ni@C catalyst exhibits outstanding activity and stability in the hydrogenation of butadiene, surpassing other Ni-based systems, including its precursor Ni3ZnC0.7@C and other previously documented catalysts such as Ni3InC0.5 and the Ni3In alloy. A pivotal finding of this research is the self-limiting behavior of coke deposition in the initial reaction stages. This intriguing phenomenon not only curbs further deactivation but also significantly enhances butene production, maintaining operational stability for an impressive duration of 80 hours. This discovery underscores the advantageous role of in situ generated 'soft' cokes in augmenting the selectivity and stability of the catalyst, which is particularly enlightening for other catalytic processes that are similarly afflicted by coking issues, thereby opening avenues for further in-depth investigations in this field.

Key words: Butadiene hydrogenation, Interstitial compound, Ni3ZnC0.7@Ni@C, Stability, Structural evolution