Efficient selective hydrogenation of phenylacetylene over an intermetallic Ni–Sb catalyst

The development of efficient and cost-effective non-noble catalysts for selective hydrogenation of phenylacetylene remains a significant challenge. Herein, the prepared intermetallic NiSb phase displayed superior catalytic performance in selective hydrogenation of phenylacetylene in comparison with the Ni catalysts, with high styrene selectivity even at complete phenylacetylene conversion and excellent stability. Thus, the NiSb catalyst exhibited great potential as an alternative to Pd-based catalysts for phenylacetylene selective hydrogenation.