Preparation of Ni/SiO catalyst in ionic liquids for hydrogenation

A series of silica supported nickel catalysts were prepared from nickel nitrate and tetraethyl orthosilicate by the sol-gel method with the imidazolium type ionic liquids as solvents. The catalysts were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS). Their catalytic performances for the selective hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde to hydrocinnamaldehyde were investigated. The results show that the Ni/SiO₂ catalyst prepared with 1-(2-hydroxyethyl)-3-methyl-imidazole tetrafluoroborate ionic liquid as solvent exhibits the highest catalytic activity for the reaction. Under the optimal conditions of catalyst dosage (based on the mass of cinnamaldehyde used) 10%, reaction pressure 2 MPa, temperature 373 K and reaction time 2 h, the conversion of cinnamaldehyde and the selectivity to hydrocinnamaldehyde can reach 97.6% and 98.8%, respectively.