Efficient hydrogenation catalyst designing via preferential adsorption sites construction towards active copper

Abstract Based on the experimental and DFT calculation results, here for the first time we built preferential adsorption sites for nitroarenes by modification of the supported Cu catalysts surface with 1,10-phenathroline (1,10-phen), by which the yield of aniline via reduction of nitroarene is enhanced three times. Moreover, a macromolecular layer was in-situ generated on supported Cu catalysts to form a stable macromolecule modified supported Cu catalyst, i.e., CuAlOx-M. By applying the CuAlOx-M, a wide variety of nitroarene substrates react smoothly to afford the desired products in up to > 99% yield with > 99% selectivity. The method tolerates a variety of functional groups, including halides, ketone , amide, and C = C bond moieties. The excellent catalytic performance of the CuAlOx-M can be attributed to that the 1,10-phen modification benefits the preferential adsorption of nitrobenzene and slightly weakens adsorption of aniline on the supported nano-Cu surface.