Advanced Oxide Catalysts for Selective Hydrogenation Reactions

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Hans-Joachim Freund
• Subject Area: Physical Chemistry of Solids and Surfaces, Material Characterisation
• Term: from 2017 to 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 321623572

Selective hydrogenation reactions of alkynes/diene to alkenes represent a class of important industrial catalytic reactions and currently are catalyzed by metal-based catalysts. Although very active, metal-based catalysts suffer from inferior selectivity, stability and coke formation. Oxides have wide applications in heterogeneous catalysis but are traditionally not considered as selective hydrogenation catalysts; however, a recent work of Vilé et al. (Vilé et al., Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 51 (2012) 8620) demonstrated excellent performance of CeO2 in catalyzing selective hydrogenation of propyne and ethyne to propene and ethene. Generally, oxide catalysts are less catalytically active than metal catalysts but more selective and stable. Therefore oxides are possible alternative catalysts for selective hydrogenation reactions of alkynes/diene to alkenes once we understand the state of the material under hydrogenation at the atomic level which is not the case at this point. In the proposed NSFC-DFG joint project, we will fully utilize the expertise of the German investigators in oxide thin film model catalysts and the expertise of the Chinese investigators in oxide nanocrystal model catalysts and powder catalysts to collaborate on the exploration of oxides as advanced catalysts for selective hydrogenation reactions. State-of-the-art in-situ and operando characterization techniques will be used to elucidate the surface structure of oxide model catalysts under reductive reaction conditions, as well as the active sites and the intermediate species for selective hydrogenation reactions. The acquired structure-activity relation will then be used to direct the structural design of advanced oxide catalysts. With this proposal, we aim to demonstrate a general model catalysts approach to fundamentally understand complex heterogeneous catalysis and practically innovate advanced catalysts. This proposal will also strengthen the already-existing collaborations between the German investigators and the Chinese investigators on scientific researches, education of graduate students, and training of young researchers.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants
• International Connection: China
• Partner Organisation: National Natural Science Foundation of China
• Cooperation Partner: Professor Dr. Weixin Huang