Fullerenes represented by C 60 are known as "nano princes"
.
It has important application potential in green energy, biomedicine, catalysts and other fields.
For example, it can make you beautiful - as an antioxidant factor in the preparation of cosmetics, and it can also make you stronger - as a key in solar cells materials,
etc.
Recently, another role of C 60 , as an "electron buffer" combined with transition metal catalysis, was revealed by scientists at Xiamen University
.
On April 15, the team of Academician Xie Suyuan and Professor Yuan Youzhu of Xiamen University published the research results entitled "Ambient-pressure synthesis of ethylene glycol catalyzed by C 60 -buffered Cu/SiO 2 " in Science, using C 60 as an electronic buffer for the first time.
The modified copper-based catalyst has broken through the technical difficulties of atmospheric hydrogenation catalysis for preparing ethylene glycol from synthesis gas, and completed the scale of hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate to prepare ethylene glycol under the conditions of near normal pressure and below 200 °C chemical test
.
The combination of fullerenes as electron acceptors (or electron donors) with transition metal catalysts is not a new topic, but it is the first time to combine fullerenes as electron buffers with transition metal catalysts
.
"The core of this technology is the combination of C 60 and copper catalyst, which realizes the subversive catalytic performance improvement of dimethyl oxalate hydrogenation to ethylene glycol from high pressure to normal pressure, and injects new vitality into carbon cluster catalysis
.
" Xie Suyuan Academician introduction
.
Another key point of the results is that under the buffer of C 60 , the hydrogenation of dimethyl oxalate to prepare ethylene glycol will be greener and safer
.
Different from the currently widely used catalytic technology that requires higher hydrogen pressure, the research results can achieve atmospheric synthesis
.
This means that safety hazards such as hydrogen leakage and explosion can be greatly reduced
.
In addition, atmospheric pressure synthesis can also overcome the problems of many side reactions and easy deactivation of catalysts
.
The development of non-petroleum route synthesis gas to ethylene glycol technology is of great strategic significance
.
"As an important chemical raw material, ethylene glycol can be polymerized with p-xylene-derived terephthalic acid to produce polyester fibers (polyester) and plastics that are widely used in daily life
.
In addition, ethylene glycol can also be used in Automobile antifreeze and industrial solvents are closely related to society and people's livelihood
.
" Professor Yuan Youzhu said
.
This achievement has been achieved through the joint efforts of three generations of postgraduates, thanks to the sincere cooperation of six research groups, including the strong assistance of relevant experts from the Fujian Institute of the Structure of Matter of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Xiamen Funa New Material Technology Co.
,
Ltd.
Science also introduced the results in the same issue, and pointed out that the research results will have an important impact on the academic and industrial circles and will become mature
.
