Easy synthesis of bimetal PtFe-containing ordered mesoporous carbons and their use as catalysts for selective cinnamaldehyde hydrogenation

Abstract

This work focuses on the preparation and characterization of bimetal PtFe-containing ordered mesoporous carbon (PtFe-OMC) materials with different Pt/Fe ratios and their use as the catalysts in selective cinnamaldehyde hydrogenation. The carbon materials were synthesized by means of an easy one-pot organic–organic self-assembly strategy using H2PtCl6·6H2O and Fe(NO3)3·9H2O as the metal precursors. All the samples were characterized by nitrogen adsorption–desorption, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, temperature programmed reduction, and transmission electron microscopy, and evaluated for catalytic cinnamaldehyde hydrogenation at various temperatures and H2 pressures. The results showed that the Pt–Fe alloy nanoparticles were highly dispersed in the OMC matrix, and the presence of Fe resulted in charge-transfer, and thus, enhanced greatly the selective cinnamaldehyde hydrogenation of the Pt catalyst towards cinnamyl alcohol.