A hierarchically porous carbon stabilized atomically dispersed Au catalyst for acetylene hydrochlorination

Abstract

Carbon-supported gold catalysts serve as sustainable alternatives to the toxic mercuric chloride catalyst in the industrial hydrochlorination of acetylene. The porosity and surface defects of catalytic materials have a significant impact on the performance of heterogeneous catalysts. Herein, a sheet-like carbon stabilized atomically dispersed Au catalyst (Au-CSC-850) with a hierarchically porous nanostructure and extensive surface void defects has been synthesized by a one-step pyrolysis method using cationic starch as a carbon precursor. The irregular dispersion of surface void defects within the Au-CSC-850 catalyst effectively interconnects the nanochannels and enhances the adsorption capacity for acetylene molecules. The activity of the Au-CSC-850 catalyst is significantly enhanced by the hierarchically porous structure derived from cationic starch, in comparison with that of the microporous Au-SC-850 catalyst obtained from pristine starch. The Au-CSC-850 catalyst demonstrated exceptional stability in durability tests, as evidenced by the absence of any significant activity loss over a 200-hour long-term reaction period. This work elucidates the profound influence of porous nanostructures and void defects on the catalytic activity of acetylene hydrochlorination catalysts, offering a convenient approach to fabricate highly efficient carbon supported metal catalysts.