TY - JOUR
T1 - Uncovering catalytic activity of Cu species on boron/nitrogen co–doped carbon nanotubes for efficient hydrogenation of nitroaromatics
T2 - beyond the size of metal active center
AU - Zhang, Jie
AU - Zhang, Xiaoxin
AU - Sun, Hui
AU - Shi, Lei
AU - Wei, Juntao
AU - Xu, Deliang
AU - Zhang, Shu
AU - Zhang, Jinqiang
AU - Wang, Shaobin
AU - Sun, Hongqi
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2025 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2025/1/9
Y1 - 2025/1/9
N2 - Promising catalysts with high efficiency, easy preparation, and good stability have huge potentials in hydrogenation reactions. In this work, earth–abundant Cu anchored on boron and nitrogen co–doped carbon catalysts (Cu@BNC) were constructed via a simple one–pot calcination approach. The size of resulting Cu species ranging from single atoms, clusters to nanoparticles can be easily controlled through varying the calcination temperature. As–synthesized Cu@BNC catalysts possessed several merits, e.g., preferable nanotubular morphology with large specific area, highly dispersed Cu active sites, and tunable interfacial properties. Taking hydrogenation reduction of nitroaromatics as paradigm, the catalytic performance of Cu@BNC catalysts was dependent not only on the size of Cu species, but also on BNC support effect like suitable surface charge, as well as critical Cuδ+–Nx structures at the metal–support interface. In this regard, the constructed Cu@BNC–900 catalyst with both Cu single atoms and a small amount of clusters exhibited an exceptional rate constant of 0.378 min−1 with the turnover frequency of 0.80 min−1 (even superior to its counterpart containing most single atoms) in 4–nitrophenol reduction, and an excellent recyclability and stability. This work sheds light for rational design of efficient catalysts with application–oriented active sites/species.
AB - Promising catalysts with high efficiency, easy preparation, and good stability have huge potentials in hydrogenation reactions. In this work, earth–abundant Cu anchored on boron and nitrogen co–doped carbon catalysts (Cu@BNC) were constructed via a simple one–pot calcination approach. The size of resulting Cu species ranging from single atoms, clusters to nanoparticles can be easily controlled through varying the calcination temperature. As–synthesized Cu@BNC catalysts possessed several merits, e.g., preferable nanotubular morphology with large specific area, highly dispersed Cu active sites, and tunable interfacial properties. Taking hydrogenation reduction of nitroaromatics as paradigm, the catalytic performance of Cu@BNC catalysts was dependent not only on the size of Cu species, but also on BNC support effect like suitable surface charge, as well as critical Cuδ+–Nx structures at the metal–support interface. In this regard, the constructed Cu@BNC–900 catalyst with both Cu single atoms and a small amount of clusters exhibited an exceptional rate constant of 0.378 min−1 with the turnover frequency of 0.80 min−1 (even superior to its counterpart containing most single atoms) in 4–nitrophenol reduction, and an excellent recyclability and stability. This work sheds light for rational design of efficient catalysts with application–oriented active sites/species.
KW - Catalytic reduction
KW - Environmental pollutant
KW - Metal cluster
KW - Nitroaromatics
KW - Single atom
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85214325734&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.compositesb.2025.112112
DO - 10.1016/j.compositesb.2025.112112
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85214325734
SN - 1359-8368
VL - 293
JO - Composites Part B: Engineering
JF - Composites Part B: Engineering
M1 - 112112
ER -