Crystalline/amorphous Al/Al2O3 core/shell nanospheres as efficient catalysts for the selective transfer hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes

Abstract

Crystalline/amorphous Al/Al2O3 core/shell nanospheres have been prepared through an electrical explosion of an aluminum wire in N2 gas atmosphere that produces aluminum nanospheres, and a subsequent automatic oxidation in air. When tested as catalyst towards the selective transfer hydrogenation of α,β-unsaturated aldehydes, an excellent performance compared to other aluminum base materials was obtained, which is attributed to the synergetic effect developed between the amorphous oxide layer with abundant unsaturated sites and the metallic core with good electrical conductivity. This work would open up new strategies for designing novel catalysts through fabricating crystalline/amorphous nanostructures for many other important catalytic applications.