Currently, the catalytic reduction of nitrobenzene requires more efficient and low-cost catalysts. In this work, a new copper-based metal-organic framework (MOF) was designed by the calcination of Cu–MOF at 700 °C (denoted as Cu@C). The catalyst showed superior catalytic performance toward the reduction of nitrobenzene, using sodium borohydride (NaBH4) as the reducing agent, and the catalyst exhibited high nitrobenzene conversion (100%) and a quick reaction time (8 min). This was one of the highest efficiencies among non-noble metal catalysts reported so far, as general non-noble metal catalysts typically require more than 15 min. This catalyst had excellent acid resistance after etching using sulfuric acid (H2SO4) for 24 h with a nitrobenzene conversion rate that was still more than 90%. In addition, it could be used more than five times and the catalytic properties remained essentially unchanged, without any reactivation treatment. Therefore, this study could offer a new efficient non-noble metal catalyst for the reduction of nitro compounds.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.