【Frontiers in HaiChuan Chemical Technology】Synthesis of high-purity phase metal intercalide catalysts: Tsinghua team makes significant progress in the research on selective hydrogenation of alkynes

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Recently, the teams led by Wang Tiefeng and Lan Xiaocheng from the Department of Chemical Engineering at Tsinghua University have made significant progress in the research on selective hydrogenation of alkynes. The research team proposed a synthesis strategy for high-purity intermetallic compound catalysts, developed high-performance intermetallic compound catalysts and a new liquid-phase hydrogenation process for the hydrogenation of concentrated acetylene to produce ethylene. By further integrating technologies such as the hydrogenation of high-concentration acetylene with those for the partial oxidation of natural gas to produce acetylene and formylation, they developed a technological chain for producing high-value polymer monomers using natural gas as a raw material. The selective hydrogenation of acetylene is a key reaction in the purification of ethylene in the petrochemical industry; it is also a potential method for integrating processes that produce acetylene from biomass, coal, or natural gas, thereby enabling the production of ethylene through non-petroleum routes. Wang Tiefeng and Lan Xiaocheng’s team, together with Professor Chen Jingguang from Columbia University, published a comprehensive review article in Chemical Society Reviews titled “Recent Advances in Thermocatalytic Acetylene Selective Hydrogenation,” which summarizes the progress made in recent years regarding catalyst development and research on reaction mechanisms for the selective hydrogenation of acetylene. The study systematically reviewed the calculation criteria for conversion and selectivity in this reaction system, focusing on the structural morphology of the catalyst active sites. The investigation of these active sites was divided into four categories: single-metal sites, disordered alloy sites, ordered intermetallic compound (IMC) sites, and single-atom (SA) sites ； It emphasizes the relationship between catalyst structure and performance, as well as the role of different active metals in improving ethylene selectivity and catalytic activity. Furthermore, the paper summarizes the mechanisms by which catalyst supports and additives exert their effects, and discusses in depth the current challenges in understanding these mechanisms and designing catalysts, as well as future research directions, with the aim of providing guidance for further innovation in this field.