Boron and Nitrogen Doping in Graphene for the Catalysis of Acetylene Hydrochlorination

Exploration of environmentally friendly catalysts is important for acetylene hydrochlorination because the traditional HgCl 2 catalyst is highly toxic and harmful to human health. Herein, boron and nitrogen heteroatoms dually doped on oxide graphene (B,N-G) catalyst were synthesized using a model calcination method and applied as a nonmetallic catalyst for acetylene hydrochlorination. The B,N-G catalyst shows acetylene conversion significantly higher (nearly 95%) than that of singly B- or N-doped graphenes and a little lower than that of Au and Hg catalyst. Density functional theory calculations and temperature-programmed desorption results indicate that the synthetic effect of B and N doping can promote HCl adsorption, which is the rate-determining step in acetylene hydrochlorination. The excellent catalytic efficiency and relatively low cost of B,N-G makes it a promising catalyst for acetylene hydrochlorination.