Unmasking true confinement effects: ultrahigh linear selectivity and chain-length oscillatory behavior in zeolite-encapsulated rhodium hydroformylation

National Science Review 2026 Open access

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Authors: Tao Yan, Xiangjie Zhang, Gengzhe Song, Ziyu Zhou, Huaming Hou, Qingqing Xie, Huizi He, Xin Tong, Hongying Chang, Zhiqiang Liu, Anmin Zheng, Zhi Min Cao
+1 more Peng He
DOI: 10.1093/nsr/nwag110
Cited by: 1
References: 49

Abstract

ABSTRACT Hydroformylation of higher α-olefins with high linear selectivity is hampered by rapid isomerization and lack of steric control in conventional heterogeneous catalysts. Here, we selectively passivate external rhodium (Rh) sites on a zeolite-encapsulated Rh@MEL catalyst using bulky 2,4-dimethylbenzenethiol (DMBT), producing Rh@MEL-DMBT that exposes only micropore-confined single Rh sites within 5.3 Å × 5.4 Å MEL channels. This eliminates interference from unrestricted surface Rh, enabling unambiguous probing of true shape-selective hydroformylation. Rh@MEL-DMBT delivers exceptional performance for C5–C12 α-olefins, achieving linear-to-branched (l/b) ratios up to 600, >95% aldehyde chemoselectivity, and significant suppression of isomerization (

Fields of Study & Subjects

Zeolite Catalysis and Synthesis Organometallic Complex Synthesis and Catalysis Mesoporous Materials and Catalysis

Publication details

Journal / source
National Science Review
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Volume
13
Issue
9
Pages
nwag110–nwag110
Publication date
21 February 2026
Language
EN