Nuclearity-dependent design principles of ruthenium catalysts for selective hydroconversion of diverse polyolefins (opens in new tab)

Polyolefin waste presents a major upcycling challenge because of its chemical inertness. Ruthenium catalysts are highly active for polyethylene hydrogenolysis, but often overproduce methane and linear alkanes and show limited substrate scope. Here we establish a mechanistic framework showing that the interplay between Ru nuclearity, valence, and support acidity governs the selectivity in Ru/NbOx-catalyzed polyolefin hydroconversion. Metallic Ru nanoparticles activate both C-H and C-C bonds an...