Carbon is the support of choice for a broad range of hydrogenation catalysts used to produce commodity and specialty chemicals from both petroleum and biomass. Although carbon is typically considered as an inert support, several studies have revealed differences in catalytic performance depending on the physico-chemical properties of carbon supports. These differences in catalytic activity and selectivity are typically attributed to metal-support interactions. However, the exact nature of these effects remains poorly understood due to the heterogeneous nanoscale structure of the studied materials, such as activated carbon and carbon black. In the present work, we decreased the level of structural complexity of the support in order to decouple effects due to surface chemistry and electronic structure. Specifically, we have successfully supported 3-5 nm Pd particles on nanocarbons with similar morphology and textural properties but different graphitic characters. Clear trends were observed for the selective hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated model compounds. Electron microscopy (SEM, HRTEM), X-ray diffraction, and hydrogen chemisorption allowed us to rule out effects due to particle size and shape. Correlations with the defect structure and chemistry of the surface were identified.

Carbon support effects on liquid-phase hydrogenation reactions

251st National Meeting (2016)

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