SBA-15-Supported Metal Silicides Prepared by Chemical Vapor Deposition as Efficient Catalysts Towards the Semihydrogenation of Phenylacetylene.

Metal silicide (Pd2Si, Ni2Si, CoSi, Fe xSi, and Cu6.69Si) catalysts supported by SBA-15 have been prepared by a chemical vapor deposition method under a H2 atmosphere using (CH3)2SiCl2 as the Si source. Of the SBA-15-supported metal silicide catalysts, Ni2Si/SBA-15 presented a modest activity, notable selectivity to styrene (>90 %), and high stability with respect to the selective hydrogenation of phenylacetylene, which is attributed to the active-site isolation and electron transfer in the silicide. Furthermore, Ni2Si/SBA-15 also has a high selectivity to diphenylacetylene and 1,4-butynediol, which demonstrates that Ni2Si/SBA-15 is a promising, low-cost catalyst alternative to noble-metal catalysts as a selective hydrogenation catalyst. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]