biostudies-literatureWang LFundamental Research Funds for the Central UniversitiesNankai UniversityNational Natural Science Foundation of ChinaNational Postdoctoral Program for Innovative Talents21932-21941https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12533733biostudies-literatureUnknown16(46)Ethylene dimerization is a critical industrial process traditionally catalyzed by homogeneous systems employing cocatalysts or solvents. Although heterogeneous catalysts show potential to circumvent these limitations, they often exhibit low activity and limited selectivity toward 1-butene. In this work, a transition-metal-confined FAU zeolite catalyst featuring precisely defined, coordinatively unsaturated Ni sites and abundant acidic functionalities, is explored for the reaction. This unique catalyst, denoted as H-Ni@Y, demonstrates remarkable ethylene dimerization performance without the need for cocatalysts or additive activators. In a fixed-bed reactor, an exceptional 1-butene formation rate of 4.28 × 10⁵ h^-1 and high 1-butene selectivity of 83.6% can be achieved Chemical scienceBronsted acid-promoted ethylene dimerization to 1-butene over Ni-containing zeolite catalysts.PMC12533733BX202001712202520322472077Ni YYang JWu GChai YLi LWang LfalseBronsted acid-promoted ethylene dimerization to 1-butene over Ni-containing zeolite catalysts.Ethylene dimerization is a critical industrial process traditionally catalyzed by homogeneous systems employing cocatalysts or solvents. Although heterogeneous catalysts show potential to circumvent these limitations, they often exhibit low activity and limited selectivity toward 1-butene. In this work, a transition-metal-confined FAU zeolite catalyst featuring precisely defined, coordinatively unsaturated Ni sites and abundant acidic functionalities, is explored for the reaction. This unique catalyst, denoted as H-Ni@Y, demonstrates remarkable ethylene dimerization performance without the need for cocatalysts or additive activators. In a fixed-bed reactor, an exceptional 1-butene formation rate of 4.28 × 10⁵ h^-1 and high 1-butene selectivity of 83.6% can be achieved 2025-01-01T00:00:00Z2025 Nov2026-06-05T19:54:57.977Z2026-05-21T03:11:45.185ZS-EPMC125337334111153910.1039/d5sc05078b