An efficient Au catalyst supported on hollow carbon spheres for acetylene hydrochlorination

Mesoporous hollow carbon spheres (HCSs) were prepared using SiO2 spheres as a hard template, and Au nanoparticles were then synthesized using NaBH4 as a reducing agent on the surface of the HCS support. Transmission electron microscopy characterization indicated that Au nanoparticles were much smaller on the HCS support than those on the active carbon (AC) support. HCl-TPD showed that the Au/HCS catalyst displayed a more active site than on Au/AC. The resulting Au/HCS catalyst showed excellent catalytic activity and stability for acetylene hydrochlorination. Acetylene conversion of Au/HCS can be maintained above 92% even after 500 h of lifetime. The excellent catalytic performance of Au/HCS was attributed to the presence of the HCS support, which limited the aggregation of Au nanoparticles.