A hierarchical flower-like hollow alumina supported bimetallic AuPd nanoparticle catalyst for enhanced solvent-free ethylbenzene oxidation. Issue 23 (30th May 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dong, Huijuan; Xie, Renfeng; Yang, Lan; Li, Feng
• Is Part Of: Dalton transactions. Volume 47:Issue 23(2018)
• Page Start: 7776
• Page End: 7786
• Publication Date: 2018-05-30
• Subjects: Chemistry, Inorganic -- Periodicals; Chemistry, Physical and theoretical -- Periodicals; Chemistry, Inorganic -- Periodicals; 546.05
• DOI: 10.1039/c8dt01182f
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1477-9226

Abstract

Abstract : A hierarchical flower-like hollow alumina supported bimetallic AuPd nanoparticle catalyst exhibited greatly enhanced performance in solvent-free ethylbenzene oxidation. Abstract : Currently, oxidation of alkylaromatics is considered as one of the most crucial chemical technologies to produce high added-value alcohols, ketones and carboxylic acids, due to its significant importance both in fine synthetic chemistry and in the academic field. In this work, a novel hierarchical marigold-like hollow alumina supported bimetallic AuPd nanoparticle catalyst was successfully fabricated and employed for highly efficient solvent-free ethylbenzene oxidation to produce acetophenone with the coexistence of both molecular oxygen and tert -butyl hydroperoxide as the oxidant and the initiator. The as-fabricated bimetallic AuPd nanocatalyst conferred a superior catalytic performance to the corresponding monometallic counterparts and commercial Al2 O3 or solid Al2 O3 microsphere supported AuPd ones, along with a high acetophenone selectivity of 88.2% at a conversion of 50.9% under mild reaction conditions (120 °C and oxygen pressure of 1.0 MPa), as well as an unprecedentedly high turnover frequency value of 46 768 h −1 . Such exceptional efficiency of the catalyst was related to both the significant synergy between the Au–Pd atoms and strong metal–support interactions, and the unique hierarchical micro/nanostructure of the support being beneficial to the close contact of reactants with surface adsorption and reaction sites and easy product diffusion. Moreover, the present bimetallic AuPd catalyst was recyclable and stable. The developed approach is expected to offer exciting opportunities for designing other supported monometallic or bimetallic catalysts with various active components applied in heterogeneous catalysis.