Nickel−palladium alloy nanoparticles supported on reduced graphene oxide decorated with metallic aluminum nanoparticles (Al-rGO/NiPd): a multifunctional catalyst for the transfer hydrogenation of nitroarenes and olefins using water as a hydrogen source

• Published in: Inorganic chemistry frontiers Vol. 8; no. 9; pp. 22 - 2212
• Main Authors: Da alan, Ziya, Behboudikhiavi, Sepideh, Turgut, Muhammet, Sevim, Melike, Kasapo lu, Ahmet Emre, Ni anc, Bilal, Metin, Önder
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Royal Society of Chemistry 07.05.2021
• Subjects: Alkenes; Aluminum; Aromatic compounds; Catalysts; Catalytic activity; Chemical reactions; Graphene; Hydrogen; Hydrogen production; Hydrogenation; Inorganic chemistry; Nanoalloys; Nanomaterials; Nanoparticles; Nitrobenzene; Nitrogen dioxide; NMR; Nuclear magnetic resonance; Palladium; Palladium base alloys; Selectivity
• ISSN: 2052-1553; 2052-1545; 2052-1553
• DOI: 10.1039/d0qi01363c

We report herein an innovative design and synthesis of a novel multifunctional nanocatalyst for the transfer hydrogenation (TH) of nitroarenes and olefins using water as a hydrogen source and solvent. The presented nanocatalyst is composed of NiPd alloy nanoparticles (NPs) supported on reduced graphene oxide (rGO) decorated with metallic Al NPs (Al-rGO/NiPd). In the catalyst, metallic Al NPs serve as the sacrificing agent for hydrogen generation via the Al-H 2 O reaction, NiPd NPs act as the catalyst for the transfer of the generated hydrogen to the unsaturated compounds, and rGO functions as both a support material and stabilizer for the NPs. Among all tested catalysts, Al-rGO/Ni 40 Pd 60 nanocatalysts are found to be the most efficient and selective catalysts in the presented TH of nitroarenes (14 examples) and olefins (14 examples) with yields reaching up to 99% under the optimized reaction conditions. Additionally, Al-rGO/Ni 40 Pd 60 nanocatalysts are recyclable catalysts in the TH reactions by catalyzing ten consecutive runs in the TH of nitrobenzene without a significant drop in their initial catalytic activity, which is the first example in this regard. Last but not least, the current transfer hydrogenation protocol provides selectivity for the reduction of only the -NO 2 group of nitroarenes bearing iodo or bromo substituents on the same aromatic ring. This study is the first example of a TH protocol that employs an Al-modified nanomaterial serving as both a hydrogen generator and reusable catalyst in water without using any additional hydrogen source. A multifunctional nanocatalyst, Al-rGO/Ni 40 Pd 60 , is designed for the transfer hydrogenation of nitroarenes and olefins using water as a hydrogen source and solvent.