Highly active gauze-supported skeletal nickel catalysts.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Catalysis
• Electrochemistry

Background:

• Developing efficient and selective catalysts is crucial for sustainable chemical synthesis.
• Skeletal nickel catalysts, such as RANEY® nickel, are widely used in hydrogenation reactions.
• Improving the activity and selectivity of these catalysts remains an active area of research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prepare novel gauze-supported skeletal nickel catalysts.
• To evaluate the catalytic activity and selectivity of the prepared catalysts in acetophenone hydrogenation.
• To compare the performance of the novel catalysts with commercial RANEY® nickel.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of Ni-Zn alloys via electrodeposition from a quaternary melt (acetamide-DMSO2-NiCl2-ZnCl2).
• Leaching of zinc from the Ni-Zn alloys using chemical or electrochemical methods to form skeletal nickel.
• Testing the catalytic performance in the hydrogenation of acetophenone.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized gauze-supported skeletal nickel catalysts.
• The prepared catalysts demonstrated higher activity and selectivity than commercial RANEY® nickel.
• The electrodeposition and leaching method yielded a structured catalyst with enhanced properties.

Conclusions:

• Gauze-supported skeletal nickel catalysts prepared by electrodeposition offer superior performance in acetophenone hydrogenation.
• The novel preparation method provides a viable route to highly active and selective skeletal nickel catalysts.
• These findings contribute to the development of advanced catalytic materials for organic synthesis.