Recent Progress in Pd-Based Nanocatalysts for Selective Hydrogenation

Selective hydrogenation plays an important role in the chemical industry and has a wide range of applications, including the production of fine chemicals and petrochemicals, pharmaceutical synthesis, healthcare product development, and the synthesis of agrochemicals. Pd-based catalysts have been widely applied for selective hydrogenation due to their unique electronic structure and ability to adsorb and activate hydrogen and unsaturated substrates. However, the exclusive and comprehensive summarization of the size, composition, and surface and interface effect of metal Pd on the performance for selective hydrogenation is still lacking. In this perspective, the research progress on selective hydrogenation using Pd-based catalysts is summarized. The strategies for improving the catalytic hydrogenation performance over Pd-based catalysts are investigated. Specifically, the effects of the size, composition, and surface and interfacial structure of Pd-based catalysts, which could influence the dissociation mode of hydrogen, the adsorption, and the reaction mode of the catalytic substrate, on the performance have been systemically reviewed. Then, the progress on Pd-based catalysts for selective hydrogenation of unsaturated alkynes, aldehydes, ketones, and nitroaromatic hydrocarbons is revealed based on the fundamental principles of selective hydrogenation. Finally, perspectives on the further development of strategies for chemical selective hydrogenation are provided. It is hoped that this perspective would provide an instructive guideline for constructing efficient heterogeneous Pd-based catalysts for various selective hydrogenation reactions.