Solvent-free synthesis of Co@NC catalyst with Co-N species as active sites for chemoselective hydrogenation of nitro compounds

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) derived Co-based catalysts have received extensive attention in the chemoselective hydrogenation of nitroarenes, while they usually require a lot of solvent during the synthesis and identification of active species. This study explores a solid-phase synthesis strategy to obtain MOF precursors without using any solvent, which is then foamed and pyrolyzed to synthesize the Co@NC-X catalyst. It was found that a nitrogen-doped graphene shell can well encapsulate the Co nanoparticles. The resulting catalyst, which was pyrolyzed at 800 degrees C, exhibited similar to 100% conversion for the hydrogenation of 3-nitrostyrene and >99% selectivity to 3-vinylaniline. This catalyst also showed excellent stability and good substrate universality for the hydrogenation of extensive substituted nitroarenes. Various characterizations revealed a positive relationship between the catalytic performance and the content of Co-N species tuned by pyrolysis temperature. This work provides a novel and green strategy to design an efficient Co-based catalyst for chemoselective hydrogenation.