Synthesis of ZIF-8-coated Pt/SiO2 by vapor deposition for alkyne semi-hydrogenation

Abstract In this work, ZIF-8/Pt/SiO2 catalysts were prepared by combining atomic layer deposition (ALD) and vapor phase conversion methods. First, Pt metal nanoparticles were deposited on SiO2 nanowires by ALD. Then, ZnO was further deposited, also by ALD. Subsequently, the ZnO film was converted into ZIF-8 film by vapor phase crystallization to form a sandwich structure (ZIF-8/Pt/SiO2). The microstructures of the catalysts were characterized by XRD, TEM, BET, IC-MS, XPS, and CO-DRIFT. It was shown that the Pt particles were highly dispersed on the SiO2 nanowires before and after coating with ZIF-8, and the ZIF-8 film was coated continuously on the entire catalyst with high conformity. The performance of the catalyst was studied by using the semi-hydrogenation of 1-heptyne as a probe reaction. The ZIF-8 film induces an electron density increase in the Pt component, leading to an increase of the olefin selectivity from 14% to 70% in the 1-heptyne hydrogenation reaction. A reduced thickness of the ZIF-8 film increases the catalytic activity but does not affect the selectivity of 1-heptylene.