In Hefei, China, a research team led by Researcher WANG Guozhong from the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has made significant progress in the field of catalysts for hydrogenation reactions. By developing a method to precisely control the size of nickel particles in catalysts, they have improved the overall performance of these catalysts. Catalysts play a crucial role in speeding up chemical reactions, and the size of the metal particles within them is a determining factor in their effectiveness. The team synthesized mesoporous silica and used a novel strategy to adjust the molar ratio of ethylenediamine (EDA) to nickel (Ni) in order to create Ni/MS catalysts with varying Ni particle sizes. Through experimental and theoretical approaches, they studied how these size variations affected the hydrogenation performance of vanillin, a common chemical compound. By fine-tuning the particle size, the researchers were able to optimize the catalyst performance and product selectivity, ultimately identifying that the Ni/MS-4.8 catalyst with intermediate-sized particles showed peak productivity in the hydrogenation of vanillin. The study revealed that low-coordinated Ni atoms play a crucial role in reactant adsorption, while high-coordinated atoms facilitate hydrogen dissociation, leading to improved reaction efficiency. This research offers valuable insights into the design of catalysts for enhanced hydrogenation reactions, shedding light on the importance of controlling particle size for optimal catalytic performance.