Core‐Shell Zeolite with Confined Nickel Particles as Prominent Catalyst for the Hydrogenation of Maleic Anhydride

Abstract Transformation of maleic anhydride (MA) into succinic anhydride (SA) through the development of high‐performance catalysts is an appealing approach from a sustainable development perspective. Herein, a core‐shell catalyst with silicate‐1 supported and MCM‐41 encapsulated nickel was prepared, which exhibited extraordinarily high MA conversion (99.8 %) and SA selectivity (99.9 %). Detailed structural characterizations and catalytic evaluation demonstrated that the core‐shell catalyst derived from the liquid deposition method is a hierarchically porous material with tunable shell thicknesses, possessing strong interaction between Ni particles and the supports. Key to this success is the MCM‐41 shell that covered the defects such as silanol nests on the surface of the silicate‐1 zeolite, diminishing both the surface and intra‐particle diffusion barriers, thus the specially‐designed catalyst achieved high activity under rather mild conditions (100 °C, 3.0 MPa), which is 59 % higher than the conventional silicate‐1 supported Ni catalyst. Furthermore, the mesoporous MCM‐41 shell plays a crucial role in minimizing the leaching and sintering of Ni particles, thereby bolstering catalytic stability. Overall, the research provides a new approach for the rational design to optimize the performance of hydrogenation catalysts and introduces a novel idea to enhance the activity and stability of Ni‐supported catalysts.