Pt Nanoclusters Supported on Ti₃C₂T_x Nanosheets for the Selective Hydrogenation of Halogenated Nitroarenes under Mild Conditions

Abstract

We successfully constructed an ultrathin Ti 3 C 2 T x supported Pt nanocluster catalyst for highly selective and efficient hydrogenation of pchloronitrobenzene (p-CNB) to p-chloroaniline (p-CAN) under mild conditions (30 °C, 0.1 MPa H 2 ). The Pt/Ti 3 C 2 T x catalyst displayed a very high conversion (>99%) and selectivity (>99%). In addition, a higher reaction rate (41 mol h −1 g −1 ) was obtained in comparison with the previously reported catalysts. The excellent catalytic activity of Pt/Ti 3 C 2 T x was attributed to the strong metal−support interactions between Pt nanoclusters and the support, in which the electrons were transferred from Ti 3 C 2 T x to Pt sites, affording a high electron density of Pt active sites. Moreover, the electrostatic repulsion between C−Cl moiety and Pt sites inhibited the dechlorination process. In addition, the Pt/Ti 3 C 2 T x catalyst also exhibited excellent performance in substrate scope (reducible heterocyclics such as pyridine and phthalimide), stability (10th cycles, conversion >99% and selectivity 98%), and gramscale reaction (99% yield, 1.89 g). This work will promote the research in constructing efficient and highly selective noble metalbased catalysts for hydrogenation of halogenated nitroarenes.