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Updated: Jan 12, 2026

Synthesis and Testing of Supported Pt-Cu Solid Solution Nanoparticle Catalysts for Propane Dehydrogenation
Published on: July 18, 2017
Copper integrative catalytic pairs with mixed-valence Cu2+-Cu3+ Species for selective alkyne conversion
Yuxue Yue1, Mingde Yu1, Zhangyi Yao2
1Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Surface and Interface Science and Engineering for Catalysts, Institute of Industrial Catalysis of Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China.
Abstract:
Achieving specific orbital activation of C ≡ C by controlling the precise atomic architecture of supported metals is crucial for the selective transformation of alkynes. However, its physical mechanism remains a subject of debate. Herein, we construct a well-defined O-bridged CuN3-O-CuN3 integrative catalytic pairs (Cu ICPs) based on Kirkendall effect. As a result, Cu ICPs with mixed Cu2+-Cu3+ species demonstrate >99% conversion and >550 h stability in acetylene hydrochlorination (simulated industrial reaction conditions), showcasing unparalleled performance in the liquid-phase hydrochlorination of five alkynes as well. A combined experimental and theoretical analyses reveal selective coupling between the dxz/dyz orbitals of Cu ICPs and the σ orbitals of C ≡ C in C2H2, leading to the formation of highly reactive di-σ-HC = CH intermediate. Additionally, the presence of the bridged-O species promotes HCl dissociation, altering the addition pathway from the classical Eley-Rideal (E-R) mechanism to a Cl•-trigged Langmuir-Hinshelwood (L-H) mechanism, ultimately reducing the intrinsic energy barrier for addition, and breaking the universal standard electrode potential linear scaling relations.
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