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The catalytic performance of metal‐free defected carbon catalyst towards acetylene hydrochlorination revealed from first‐principles calculation
Author(s) -
Ali Sajjad,
Khan Muhammad Baber Azam,
Khan Said Alam
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
international journal of quantum chemistry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.484
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1097-461X
pISSN - 0020-7608
DOI - 10.1002/qua.26418
Subject(s) - acetylene , catalysis , carbon nanotube , density functional theory , hydrogen , carbon fibers , adsorption , chemistry , hydrogen chloride , materials science , metal , chemical engineering , photochemistry , nanotechnology , inorganic chemistry , computational chemistry , organic chemistry , composite material , composite number , engineering
Abstract Defected carbon materials as a metal‐free catalyst have shown superior stability and catalytic performance in the acetylene hydrochlorination reaction. Through density functional theory (DFT) calculations, for the first time, several different defected configurations comprising mono and divacancies and Stone Wales defect on single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) have been used as a direct catalyst for acetylene hydrochlorination reaction. These defective sites on SWCNTs are the most active site for acetylene hydrochlorination reaction compare to pristine SWCNT. The different configurations of defects have different electronic structures, which specify that monovacancy defects have more states adjacent to the Fermi level. The reactant acetylene (C 2 H 2 ) adsorbed strongly compared to hydrogen chloride (HCl) and expected to be the initial step of the reaction. Acetylene adsorbed strongly at monovacancy defected SWCNT compared to other investigated defects. Reaction pathway analysis revealed that mono‐ and divacancy defected SWCNTs have minimum energy barriers and show extraordinary performance toward acetylene hydrochlorination. This work suggests the potential of metal‐free defected carbon in catalyzing acetylene hydrochlorination and provides a solid base for future developments in acetylene hydrochlorination.