Experimental Evidence for the Interface Interaction in Ag/C60 Nanocomposite Catalyst and Its Crucial Influence on Catalytic Performance

Abstract

New model catalysts are important for studying the interface interaction and their influence on the catalytic performance. In this paper, a novel Ag/C60 nanocomposite catalyst (Ag/C60 NCC) has been designed, prepared, and applied for the first time in the hydrogenation of aromatic nitro compounds. A new band at 1100 cm−1 appears in the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra of the Ag/C60 NCC, and the peak of the Ag (2) mode of C60 shifts clearly from 1468 to 1464 cm−1 in the Raman spectrum. X-ray photoelectron (XPS) spectrum of Ag 3d electron can be curve fitted into two pairs of peaks, corresponding to neutral Ag and Ag+, and the half-peak breadth is also broadened. Ag/C60 NCC exhibits excellent activity and selectivity in the hydrogenation of chloronitrobenzenes and nitrobenzaldehydes, whereas Ag nanocrystals (NCs), the mixture of Ag NCs, and C60 NCs do worse. These results evidence the presence of the charge transfer from Ag to C60 and clearly indicate the catalytic performance’s dependence on the interface interaction between Ag NCs and support C60 NCs.