Mesoporous Au–TiO2 Nanoparticle Assemblies as Efficient Catalysts for the Chemoselective Reduction of Nitro Compounds

Abstract

ABSTRACTHere, we propose novel mesoporous Au-loaded TiO2 nanoparticle assemblies (Au-MTA) as highly effective catalysts for the reduction of nitroaromatic compounds into the corresponding aryl amine products. The obtained materials possess a continuous network of interconnected gold and anatase TiO2 (ca. 9 nm in size) nanoparticles with controllable gold particle size (i.e. ranging from ∼3.2 to ∼9.4 nm) and exhibit large and accessible pore surface area (ca. 100–160 m2/g), as evidenced by SAXS, XRD, TEM and N2 physisorption measurements. Interestingly, the Au-MTA mesophases have exhibited remarkable activity and selectivity for the reduction of nitro into amine groups using NaBH4 as reducing agent. Indeed, the Au loading and particle size have a key effect on hydrogenation reactions, affecting significantly the yield and product composition.