Enhancing the chemoselective hydrogenation of nitroarenes: Designing a novel surface-strained carbon-based Pt nanocatalyst

• Published in: Chinese journal of catalysis 2023-05, Vol.48, p.195-204
• Main Authors: Zhang, Fengwei, Guo, Hefang, Liu, Mengmeng, Zhao, Yang, Hong, Feng, Li, Jingjing, Dong, Zhengping, Qiao, Botao
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Compressive strain; Pt-based nanocatalyst; Selective hydrogenation; Strong metal-support interaction; Thermal reduction treatment
• ISSN: 1872-2067; 1872-2067
• DOI: 10.1016/S1872-2067(23)64424-9

Supported Pt nanoparticles (NPs) are highly active catalysts for heterogeneous catalytic hydrogenation reactions; however, controlling their selectivity remains the biggest challenge toward their applicability. Herein, we propose the formation of a highly selective and stable, surface-strained Pt-based nanocatalyst via a facile and scalable thermal reduction treatment. Spherical-aberration-corrected transmission electron microscopy (SACTEM) and various spectral analytic techniques reveal a strong metal-support interaction between the Pt NPs and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) support during the annealing process. Thereafter, a fraction of carbon atoms is etched from the carbon-coated Pt NPs, inducing a compressive strain on the surface of the Pt NPs. Notably, the chemoselectivity of the surface-strained Pt/CNTs-800H catalyst (where 800 represents the heat-treatment temperature; H represents a hydrogen atmosphere) is almost completely different compared to that of its pristine counterpart. This catalyst is used for the hydrogenation reactions of a styrene and nitrobenzene mixture as well as 4-nitrostyrene. Interestingly, similar findings were observed with 5 wt% Pt/C and Pt/rGO catalysts, confirming that this treatment could be generalized. Hence, it has great potential in the design and synthesis of carbon-based catalytic materials. The compressive-strained Pt/CNTs-800H catalyst with strong metal-support interaction was prepared via a facile and scalable thermal reduction strategy. It displays superior selectivity and stability and is well-suited for the selective hydrogenation of vulnerable nitroarenes.