Platinum nanoparticles on 3D graphene-like zeolite-templated carbon for benzene hydrogenation

Abstract

The concentration and dispersion of metal clusters in metal-supported catalysts are essential for the performance of hydrogenation catalysts. In this study, very high concentrations (∼25 wt%) of well-dispersed Pt nanoparticles of the face-centred cubic crystal structure with a mean diameter of ∼1.7 nm were prepared in zeolite-templated carbon (Pt/Y-carbon). The defined 3D porous structure of Pt/Y-carbon formed by nanocasting of the zeolitic channel system and characterised by a specific surface area (∼2440 m² g⁻¹) comparable to the theoretical surface area of graphene and accessible through 3D organized pores accommodates Pt nanoparticles with high dispersion and specific activity in hydrogenation of benzene to cyclohexane at Pt loadings from 3 to 25 wt%. It provides a multiple increase in the concentration of active Pt sites and a corresponding increase in the TOF and conversions in the hydrogenation reaction. The productivity of the most active catalyst reaches a value of 1.06 × 10⁻³ mol g_cat⁻¹ s⁻¹. The study demonstrates a novel concept for the creation of catalysts with a very high concentration of metal clusters dispersed on the support with readily accessible 3D organized pores for reactions catalysed heterogeneously by supported metal nanoparticles.