A layer-like FAU zeolite with palladium particles embedded in situ as catalyst for hydrogenation of 1,4-bis(phenylethynyl) benzene

The active carbon supported palladium catalyst (Pd/C) is commonly used for hydrogenation of 1,4-bis(phenylethynyl) benzene (DEB), to avoid its disadvantage of easy combustion, a nonflammable Pd-containing zeolite was developed as a novel catalyst for the DEB hydrogenation. In the present work, this Pd-containing zeolite catalyst was synthesized via a one-pot hydrothermal technique, and its structure and catalytic performance were investigated. The results show that the support of this prepared Pd-containing zeolite catalyst is a layer-like FAU zeolite with a hierarchical pore structure, and the Pd particles is embedded uniformly inside the layer-like FAU zeolite with an average size of 2.02 ± 0.41 nm. The results also show that the catalytic performance of this prepared Pd-containing zeolite catalyst (Pd@FAU) is much better than that of the traditional Pd/C catalyst with the same content of Pd particles, the DEB-Pd@FAU mixture can reach its maximal hydrogen uptake capacity of 257.41 ml/g in 20 h, and the DEB-Pd/C mixture can only reach its maximum of 223.81 ml/g in 45 h. These differences are mainly caused by that the Pd particles in the prepared Pd@FAU catalyst has a smaller size, a better dispersion and a more metallic Pd species than those in the Pd/C catalyst. All these results indicate that the Pd@FAU catalyst would be a promising substitute for the traditional Pd/C catalyst for hydrogenation of DEB.