Synergistic catalysis by a hybrid nanostructure Pt catalyst for high-efficiency selective hydrogenation of nitroarenes

Abstract

A hybrid nanostructure Pt/@-ZrO2/SBA-15 catalyst was fabricated by coating ZrO2 on SBA-15 (ZrO2/SBA-15), and then loaded Pt nanoparticles on the ZrO2/SBA-15 by a photochemical route at room temperature. This catalyst demonstrated outstanding activity and excellent selectivity (>99%) for hydrogenation of nitroarenes, outperforming conventional catalysts (Pt/SBA-15, Pt/ZrO2, Pt/AC, Pt/Al2O3, and Pt/SiO2). For the hydrogenation of chloronitrobenzene, the Pt/@-ZrO2/SBA-15 catalyst achieved a turnover frequency (TOF) of 2.5–7.5 s−1. Particularly, the 0.07%Pt/@-ZrO2/SBA-15 catalyst yielded a TOF as high as 12 s−1 in the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene, much higher than the single-atom 0.08%Pt/FeOx-R200 (0.67 s−1) catalyst reported in the literature. Unlike single-atom (low metal loading) or conventional catalysts (high metal loading), this hybrid nanostructure catalyst with high or low Pt loading showed high activity. Moreover, the Pt/@-ZrO2/SBA-15 catalyst exhibited excellent recyclability; the catalytic activity did not decrease after six reaction cycles. The extraordinary activity and selectivity of this catalyst are attributed to the special structure and the synergistic effect. The catalysts also deliver high catalytic activity and selectivity for nitroarenes with various reducible substituents into the corresponding aminoarenes. Our findings provide a new perspective on developing a high-efficiency hybrid nanostructure catalyst for a variety of catalytic reactions.