Volume 2, 2024

Structural selectivity of supported Pd nanoparticles: selective ethanol ammoxidation to acetonitrile

Abstract

The need to achieve net zero requires decarbonisation across all areas of our industrialised society, including the production of chemicals. One example is the production of acetonitrile, which currently relies on fossil carbon. Recently, supported Pd nanoparticles have been shown to promote the selective transformation of bio-derived ethanol to acetonitrile. Elsewhere, current research has demonstrated the importance of interstitial structures of Pd in promoting specific transformations. In this study, we demonstrate through a spatially resolved operando energy-dispersive-EXAFS (EDE) technique that selectivity to acetonitrile (up to 99%) is concurrent with the formation of a PdNx phase. This was evidenced from the features observed in the X-ray absorption near edge structure that were validated against PdNx samples made via known synthesis methods. Above 240 °C, the Pd nanoparticles became progressively oxidised which led to the production of unwanted byproducts, primarily CO2. The spatially resolved analysis indicated that the Pd speciation was homogeneous across the catalyst profile throughout the series of studies performed. This work resolved the structural selectivity of Pd nanoparticles that directs ethanol ammoxidation towards acetonitrile, and provides important information on the performance descriptors required to advance this technology.

Graphical abstract: Structural selectivity of supported Pd nanoparticles: selective ethanol ammoxidation to acetonitrile

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
29 Feb 2024
Accepted
07 Apr 2024
First published
18 Apr 2024
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

EES. Catal., 2024,2, 987-996

Structural selectivity of supported Pd nanoparticles: selective ethanol ammoxidation to acetonitrile

K. Mohammed, R. Vakili, D. Decarolis, S. Xu, L. Keenan, A. Kordatos, N. Zhelev, C. K. Skylaris, M. Carravetta, E. K. Gibson, H. Manyar, A. Goguet and P. P. Wells, EES. Catal., 2024, 2, 987 DOI: 10.1039/D4EY00044G

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