Liquid phase alkene hydrogenations: Exploring the reactivity and selectivity of platinum over nanoporous carbon

FUEL 220

BP M Holbrook, bmh200@psu.edu, Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, 166 Fenske Laboratory, University Park, PA, PA 16802, Ramakrishnan Rajagopalan, rur12@psu.edu, Department of Chemical Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, 161 Fenske Lab, University Park, PA 16802, and Henry C. Foley, hcf2@psu.edu, Department of Chemical Engineering, Materials Research Institute, Department of Chemistry, and College of IST, The Pennsylvania State University, 332 Information Sciences and Technology Building, University Park, PA 16802-0144.
Nanoporous carbon, NPC, with tunable porosity allows for shape-selective adsorption of specific alkene compounds. NPC are excellent candidates for gas storage materials, super capacitors, super absorbants and membranes. Herein we report the synthesis and reactivity of shape-selective platinum/carbon catalyst, which is active to perform highly selective hydrogenations of liquid alkenes. Pt nanoparticles are formed by the reduction of platinum acetylacetonate under heat in the presence of furfuryl alcohol. The Pt nanoparticle containing alcohol is then polymerized via acid-catalyst polymerization. The yielding polymer is then pyrolyzed under an inert gas providing platinum nanoparticles kinetically frozen in the carbon network. This investigation explores the effect of embedding carbon into a nanoporous carbon for the use in liquid alkene hydrogenations. Selectivities and actvities of these catalysts were explored in terms of the reactant chain length, excluded volume, double bond location, and stereoregularity. The Pt/NPC was characterized using X-Ray Diffraction, Hydrogen Chemisorption, BET Surface Area, Transmission Electron Microscopy, and Methyl Chloride Adsorption.
 

Chemistry of Carbon Materials and Nanomaterials
1:25 PM-4:25 PM, Wednesday, April 9, 2008 Morial Convention Center -- Rm. 238, Oral

Division of Fuel Chemistry

The 235th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 6-10, 2008