Fabrication of Porous Hydrogenation Catalysts by a Selective Laser Sintering 3D Printing Technique

Three-dimensional selective laser sintering printing was utilized to produce porous, solid objects, in which the catalytically active component, Pd/SiO₂, is attached to an easily printable supporting polypropylene framework. Physical properties of the printed objects, such as porosity, were controlled by varying the printing parameters. Structural characterization of the objects was performed by helium ion microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray tomography, and the catalytic performance of the objects was tested in the hydrogenation of styrene, cyclohexene, and phenylacetylene. The results show that the selective laser sintering process provides an alternative and effective way to produce highly active and easily reusable heterogeneous catalysts without significantly reducing the catalytic efficiency of the active Pd/SiO₂ component. The ability to control the size, porosity, mechanical properties, flow properties, physical properties, and chemical properties of the catalyst objects opens up possibilities to optimize devices for different reaction environments including batch reactions and continuous flow systems.