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Free keywords:
PdGa; Intermetallic compound; Heterogeneous catalysis; Selective hydrogenation; Acetylene; Site isolation; Electron localizability indicator; Chemical bonding; In-situ XPS; FTIR
Intermetallic compounds
Abstract:
A new concept to circumvent some of the problems that are hindering a rational metallic catalyst development is introduced. Investigation of conventional metal catalysts—which consist of supported metals, metal mixtures or alloys—is handicapped by the presence of a variety of active sites, their possible agglomeration, metal–support interactions as well as segregation of the components. In
order to avoid most of the drawbacks, we employ well-defined, ordered and in-situ stable unsupported intermetallic compounds. Knowledge of the chemical bonding in the compounds and the defined neighbourhood of the active sites allow a rational approach to catalysts with excellent selectivity as well as long-term stability. The concept is demonstrated for the intermetallic compound PdGa,
which is applied as catalyst for the selective hydrogenation of acetylene to ethylene.
