Resin‐Derived Hierarchical Porous Carbon Spheres with High Catalytic Performance in the Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Ethylbenzene

Abstract Pre‐shaped hierarchical porous carbon (HPC) spheres have been synthesized through a facile anion exchanged route. An industrial polymeric anion‐exchange resin with a hierarchical pore structure was used as the carbon precursor. Its high porosity was conserved using an aluminate/silicate precursor forming a hard support to prevent the structural collapse during the carbonization process. Physicochemical bulk and surface properties of the obtained HPC spheres were characterized by X‐ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy, N 2 physisorption, and X‐ray photoemission spectroscopy. Results obtained indicate that HPC keeps the abundant hierarchical porosity including meso‐ and macropores as well as the high surface area of the resin precursor. The as‐synthesized HPC spheres were tested as a catalyst for oxidative dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene to styrene. The oxygen‐rich catalyst surface formed under reaction conditions shows a high catalytic performance and stability, making HPC to a potential catalyst for this type of reaction.