B-doped activated carbon as a support for a high-performance Zn-based catalyst in acetylene acetoxylation

A series of boron-doped (B-doped) catalysts with dissimilar mass ratios of boric acid and activated carbon (AC) were prepared by an impregnation method for acetylene acetoxylation. The introduction of a number of boron atoms activates the stable π electrons in AC, which not only enhances the electron transfer between Zn and the reactants, but also improves the adsorption ability of CH₃COOH. Improving the conversion rate of CH₃COOH from 50% to 65% effectively. The inductively coupled plasma (ICP) analysis confirmed the content of zinc approximately 7.3 wt% for both Zn/AC and Zn/0.02 B-AC-900 catalysts. Furthermore, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis demonstrated that the introduction of boron changed the electron cloud density of Zn, and the strength of the Zn–O (from CH₃COOH) bond was increased. In addition, temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) analysis revealed that the Zn/0.02 B-AC-900 catalyst enhanced the adsorption of CH₃COOH and reduced the adsorption of C₂H₂, thus the conversion rate of CH₃COOH was increased.