Selective ensembles in supported palladium sulfide nanoparticles for alkyne semi-hydrogenation


Date

2018-07-06

Publication Type

Journal Article

ETH Bibliography

yes

Citations

Altmetric

Data

Abstract

Ensemble control has been intensively pursued for decades to identify sustainable alternatives to the Lindlar catalyst (PdPb/CaCO3) applied for the partial hydrogenation of alkynes in industrial organic synthesis. Although the geometric and electronic requirements are known, a literature survey illustrates the difficulty of transferring this knowledge into an efficient and robust catalyst. Here, we report a simple treatment of palladium nanoparticles supported on graphitic carbon nitride with aqueous sodium sulfide, which directs the formation of a nanostructured Pd3S phase with controlled crystallographic orientation, exhibiting unparalleled performance in the semi-hydrogenation of alkynes in the liquid phase. The exceptional behavior is linked to the multifunctional role of sulfur. Apart from defining a structure integrating spatially-isolated palladium trimers, the active ensembles, the modifier imparts a bifunctional mechanism and weak binding of the organic intermediates. Similar metal trimers are also identified in Pd4S, evidencing the pervasiveness of these selective ensembles in supported palladium sulfides.

Publication status

published

Editor

Book title

Volume

9 (1)

Pages / Article No.

2634

Publisher

Nature

Event

Edition / version

Methods

Software

Geographic location

Date collected

Date created

Subject

Catalytic mechanisms; Density functional theory; Heterogeneous catalysis

Organisational unit

03871 - Pérez-Ramírez, Javier / Pérez-Ramírez, Javier check_circle

Notes

Funding

169679 - Doing more with less: efficient single-atom catalysts based on carbon nitride for sustainable chemical transformations (SNF)

Related publications and datasets