Highly Efficient and Selective Dicarbonylation of Acetylene Catalytic by Palladium Nanosheets Supported on Activated Carbon

Carbonylation reaction is an atom-economic and efficient approach for carbonyl group construction. The challenge of the conversion lies in the realization of high-selectivity and activity during the reaction route. Herein, a PdCO/AC catalyst, with palladium (Pd) nanosheets loaded on activated carbon surface, was synthesized to evaluate the structure-activity relationship. As expected, PdCO/AC catalyst endows its higher catalytic reactivity (43.8%) and selectivity (99.0%) when compared with commercial Pd/AC catalyst (con. 21.9%, selec. 25.5%). The thermodynamic effect of the Pd morphology was evidenced by the reduced activation energy (~ 9.61 kJ•mol-1) toward the reaction. Based on catalytic evaluation results and catalyst characterization, the strongly effect of Pd nanosheets on the reaction performance mainly due to the special electronic and composition structure on the Pd (111) crystal plane, which might increase the activation capacity of carbon monoxide. In addition, comparative experiments of support effect, initial total pressure, O2 concentration and pH value were conducted to found the optimal reaction conditions.