UC Berkeley

Gold nanoparticles (NPs) supported on hydrotalcite (Au/HT) are highly active and selective catalysts for the continuous, gas-phase, non-oxidative dehydrogenation of bioderived C2 -C4 alcohols. A sharp increase in turn over frequency (TOF) is noted when the size of Au NPs is less than 5 nm relating to the strong synergy between metallic Au NPs and the acid-base groups on the support surface. It is shown that catalytic activity depends critically on Au NP size, support composition, and support pretreatments. A reaction pathway elucidated from kinetic isotope effects suggests that the abstraction of β-H by Au NPs (C-H activation) is the rate-determining step in the dehydrogenation of bioderived C2 -C4 alcohols.