Favourable hydrogenation of pyridines via H2-adsorption modulation on Ni nanoparticles in dealuminated Beta zeolite
摘要
Hydrogenation of pyridines is particularly challenging because their strong coordination to metal sites hinders hydrogen adsorption and can poison the catalysts. Here we show that Ni nanoparticles (NPs) within zeolite crystals can overcome this problem, owing to a network of micropores that features a greater proportion of free Ni sites for hydrogen adsorption even in the presence of pyridines. As a result, a high activity was achieved under mild conditions, substantially outperforming those of the commercial Raney Ni and conventional supported Ni catalysts. In addition, Ni leaching from the Ni NPs within the zeolite crystals was effectively hindered under the reaction conditions, achieving excellent stability. The versatility of the approach was shown by synthesizing Pd NP analogues, which showed improved activity compared with the conventional supported Pd catalysts.