Carbon-based Metal-free Catalysts for Dehydrogenation of Hydrocarbons

In this chapter, we summarize recent advancements in the field of carbon-based catalysts, specifically focusing on the use of functionalized nanocarbons in oxidative dehydrogenation and direct dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene, alkenes and alkanes. We also highlight the current state of metal-free catalysis, showing that they can display improved activities versus metal-based catalysts, as well as possess promising stability for the production of valuable unsaturated hydrocarbons. In particular, we describe the critical role of quinoin groups as active sites for dehydrogenation reactions and show how chemical modifications such as ammoniation or phosphorus/boron doping can significantly enhance the activity and stability of the catalyst by depressing the non-selective oxidation and combustion side reactions. Carbon-based materials have great potential for use in green, sustainable synthetic chemistry in the future, and we hope that this chapter will help to shed new light and bring increased attention to this topic.