Atomically Dispersed Pd on Nanodiamond/Graphene Hybrid for Selective Hydrogenation of Acetylene

We reported here a strategy to use a defective nanodiamond-graphene (ND@G) to prepare an atomically dispersed metal catalyst, i.e., in the current case atomically dispersed palladium catalyst which is used for selective hydrogenation of acetylene in the presence of abundant ethylene. The catalyst exhibits remarkable performance for the selective conversion of acetylene to ethylene: high conversion (100%), ethylene selectivity (90%), and good stability. The unique structure of the catalyst (i.e., atomically dispersion of Pd atoms on graphene through Pd–C bond anchoring) blocks the formation of unselective subsurface hydrogen species and ensures the facile desorption of ethylene against the overhydrogenation to undesired ethane, which is the key for the outstanding selectivity of the catalyst.