Catalytic Hydrogenation and Dehydrogenation

Hydrogenation reactions are of great importance in scientific research and in industry productions. Herein, we designed a novel system to realize photocatalytic transfer hydrogenation by using solar light as the energy input and methanol as the hydrogen source. In this reaction, titania loaded with Pd–Pt bimetallic alloy nanocrystals as a cocatalyst exhibited photocatalytic performance that was remarkably superior to that exhibited by titania with Pd or Pt alone as the cocatalyst. This work has shed light on the rational design of multifunctional catalysts through selecting appropriate bimetallic alloys as efficient cocatalysts.

Titania‐Photocatalyzed Transfer Hydrogenation Reactions with Methanol as a Hydrogen Source: Enhanced Catalytic Performance by Pd–Pt Alloy at Ambient Temperature

Zhao

Pan

et al. 2014

Fe₃O₄–SiO₂–P4VP pH‐Sensitive Microgel for Immobilization of Nickel Nanoparticles: An Efficient Heterogeneous Catalyst for Nitrile Reduction in Water

Nabid¹,

Bide²,

Niknezhad³

2014

Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) were modified with (3‐aminopropyl)triethoxysilane through silanization. An atom transfer radical polymerization‐initiating site immobilized onto amine‐functionalized Fe3O4 MNPs. The surface‐initiated atom transfer radical polymerization of 4‐vinylpyridine was then performed in the presence of Fe3O4–SiO2–Br nanoparticles, which led to the formation of Fe3O4–SiO2–P4VP [P4VP=poly(4‐vinylpyridine)] hybrid microgels cross‐linked with Fe3O4 MNPs. Our approach uses polymer microgels as templates for the synthesis of nickel nanoparticles (NiNPs). The tunable properties of synthesized NiNPs@Fe3O4–SiO2–P4VP pH‐sensitive microgels were used in the catalytic reduction of aliphatic and aromatic nitriles. Moreover, the catalytic activity of metal nanocomposites that can be modulated by the volume transition of microgel structures with changing pH has been evaluated. TEM, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, atomic absorption spectroscopy, XRD, UV/Vis spectroscopy, and FTIR spectroscopy were used to characterize the resultant catalyst.

Palladium Nanoparticles Immobilized on Magnetic Porous Carbon Derived from ZIF‐67 as Efficient Catalysts for the Semihydrogenation of Phenylacetylene under Extremely Mild Conditions

Zhang

Liu

et al. 2016

A new magnetic porous carbon (MDPC) derived from metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) was synthesized successfully through the direct carbonization of ZIF‐67 crystals and utilized as a support for Pd nanocatalysts. The prepared MDPC not only retains the original morphology of ZIF‐67 crystals but also provides a high surface area and excellent magnetic properties. The designed catalysts (Pd‐MDPC) were tested in the semihydrogenation of phenylacetylene under extremely mild conditions. The Pd nanoparticles are highly dispersed on the MDPC matrix without aggregation and exhibited an excellent catalytic activity and high selectivity toward olefins under mild conditions (25 °C, H2 1 atm). The Pd‐MDPC catalysts were further investigated in the semihydrogenation of several other terminal alkynes. Compared with most traditional carbon materials, such as activated carbon and carbon nanotubes, the MDPC possesses an admirable magnetism so that it could be separated magnetically from the reaction system. Our study indicates that MOF‐derived porous carbon is a suitable support for noble‐metal nanocatalysts and has promise in the field of nanocatalysis.