Palladium Decorated N-Doped Carbon Foam as a Highly Active and Selective Catalyst for Nitrobenzene Hydrogenation

Abstract

Carbon foam was synthesized by the carbonization of 4-nitroaniline. The reaction is an alternative of the well-known “carbon snake” (or sugar snake) demonstration experiment, which leads to the formation of nitrogen-doped carbon foils due to its nitrogen content. The synthesized carbon foils were grinded to achieve an efficient catalyst support. Palladium nanoparticles were deposited onto the surface of the support, which showed continuous distribution. The prepared Pd nanoparticle decorated carbon foils showed high catalytic activity in nitrobenzene hydrogenation. By applying the designed catalyst, total nitrobenzene conversion, a 99.1 n/n% aniline yield, and an exceptionally high selectivity (99.8 n/n%) were reached. Furthermore, the catalyst remained active during the reuse tests (four cycles) even without regeneration.

Palladium nanoparticle deposition on spherical carbon supports for heterogeneous catalysis in continuous flow

“…[12][13][14] Many types of carbon supports have been documented in the literature, including powders, foams, and pellets. [15][16][17] Larger supports lead to lower pressure drops across the reactor but typically cause a decrease in the active surface area, as well as inhomogeneity in the flow path through the catalyst bed, both decreasing the efficiency of the catalyst. 18 Pressure drops have been modelled for different flow regimes and guidelines, outlined by Hickman et al in 2016, suggest that a maximum pressure drop of 20% of the reactor inlet pressure is acceptable for successful operation.…”

Ionothermal synthesis of magnetic N-doped porous carbon to immobilize Pd nanoparticles as an efficient nanocatalyst for the reduction of nitroaromatic compounds

“…Plenty of solid supports, particularly silica, polymers, MOF, metal oxides, and mesoporous carbon, are used for immobilizing nanoparticles. Nevertheless, in the meantime, carbon-based materials have been extensively used as support for many chemical reactions 27 , 28 . Mesoporous carbons are supreme supports because of their outstanding properties, such as large specific surface areas, excellent chemical stability, porosity, great electron conductivity, and high mechanical strength 29 .…”