Abstract

Ionic liquids (ILs) have been extensively explored in controlling the selectivity and stability of metal nanoparticles and/or classical heterogeneous catalysts for the hydrogenation of aromatics. ILs provide a protective layer to metal surface catalysts and a physical barrier controlling the access of substrates/intermediates/products on the nanoconfined catalysts, acting as an electronic and geometrical modifier of the catalytic active sites. As a result, this allows the stability and electronic/geometrical properties of the catalyst to be modulated. The IL layers also allow nano- environments to be designed for encapsulation and to change the kinetic/thermodynamic of the process compared to those reactions performed in classical heterogeneous catalysis. We will focus on the physical, geometric and electronic effects imposed by the IL on metal nanoparticles and classical heterogeneous catalysts on activity and selectivity in the hydrogenation of arenes, in particular benzene.