Defect-rich activated carbons as active and stable metal-free catalyst for acetylene hydrochlorination

Abstract A defect-rich activated carbon featured superior catalytic performance and stability for acetylene hydrochlorination as metal-free catalysts. Raman and density functional theory calculations results indicate that the defective site on activated carbon is the active site for acetylene hydrochlorination. The catalytic performance of activated carbons is linearly correlated with the amount of surface defects.