Pd Nanoparticles and Aminopolymers Confined in Hollow Silica Spheres as Efficient and Reusable Heterogeneous Catalysts for Semihydrogenation of Alkynes

A yolk–shell nanostructured composite composed of Pd nanoparticles (NPs) and aminopolymers, poly(ethylenimine) (PEI), confined in hollow silica spheres which act as an efficient and stable heterogeneous catalyst for semihydrogenation of alkynes is reported herein. The yolk–shell nanostructured Pd-PEI-silica composite catalysts (Pd+PEI@HSS), consisting of Pd NPs core ca. 5–9 nm in diameter and a porous silica shell ca. 30–50 nm in shell thickness, are fabricated by a facile one-pot method using linear- or branched-type PEI (Mw = 1,800–2,500) as an organic template. On the basis of comprehensive structural analyses by FE-SEM, TEM, N2 physisorption, IR, TG, and Pd K-edge XAFS, we show that metal Pd NPs and PEI molecules are encapsulated in the hollow silica sphere with a size of ca. 100–160 nm. The Pd+PEI@HSS composite shows an activity at near room temperature in the liquid-phase hydrogenation of diphenylacetylene to selectively produce cis-stilbene with 95% yield, which outperforms those of the previously reported Pd/PEI and Lindlar catalysts. Interestingly, the catalyst encapsulating linear-type PEI provides a markedly high alkene selectivity in the semihydrogenation of phenylacetylene to produce styrene owing to the strong poisoning effect of linear PEI, which is clearly revealed by an isotope study using H2/D2/acetylene (or ethylene) gases. The catalyst synthesized with optimum silica shell thickness can be easily recovered and recycled without any loss of palladium species and PEI and retaining high activities and selectivities over multiple cycles owing to the ability of the protective effect of silica shell, rendering this material an efficient and stable catalyst for semihydrogenation of alkynes.