Fullerene derivative supported Ni for hydrogenation of nitrobenzene: Effect of functional group of fullerene derivative

Abstract

Fullerene (C60) derivative supported Ni were prepared, and employed to catalyze the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene. The ICP-AES and XPS suggested that the functional groups of C60 derivatives were in favor of anchoring Ni species and affected the electron density of metallic Ni. It was illustrated that the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene with C60-based catalysts proceeded via direct route. Ni-N-C60 prepared from C60-ethanediamine derivative exhibited excellent catalytic performance, which was ascribed to better dispersion of Ni species and high surface content of electron rich metallic Ni. Under 80 °C and 1.0 MPa of H2, the nitrobenzene conversion of 99.5% and the aniline selectivity of above 99.9% were obtained within 20 min with TOF of 0.46 s−1. Furthermore, Ni-N-C60 exhibited outstanding reusability even at high temperature, due to the dispersing effect and the stabilization effect of C60-ethanediamine which was not only a support but also a ligand on Ni species.