Effectively Regulating the Microenvironment of Atomically Dispersed Rh through Co and Pi to Promote the Selectivity in Olefin Hydroformylation.

In the study of heterogeneity of homogeneous processes, effective control of the microenvironment of active sites is a reliable means to improve the selectivity of products. Here, we develop a high-performance Rh-based atomically dispersed catalyst for olefin hydroformylation by controlling the electronic environment and spatial distribution of active metals on the supports, which is achieved through wet impregnation of Rh on ZnO modified with Pi and Co. Various characterizations demonstrate that Co weakens Rh-CO interactions and Pi promotes the formation of atomically dispersed Rh, which thereby improves the selectivity of linear aldehydes in hydroformylation. This strategy of rationally designing the local microenvironment of active metals is important to optimize the catalytic performance.