Alumina-Supported Pd–P Metal–Nonmetal Alloy Nanoparticles as Nitroarene Hydrogenation Catalysts

Enhancing the catalytic efficiency of precious metal catalysts to reduce their operating cost is the key to accelerating their real-world applications. In this study, Pd–P metal–nonmetal alloy nanocatalysts were synthesized by in situ transformation of Pd/alumina with NaH2PO2 and NaBH4 in wet chemistry. Relative to Pd/Al2O3, Pd–P/alumina exhibits significantly enhanced catalytic activity for the hydrogenation of a series of nitroarenes and demonstrates high selectivity for nitro hydrogenation in carbonyl group-substituted nitroarenes. The enhancement of the catalytic performance of Pd–P/alumina can be attributed to the formation of the Pd–P alloy nanostructure, where the doping of P atoms increases the Pd–Pd interatomic distance and further modulates the electronic and geometric properties of the active surfaces, thereby enhancing their hydrogenation activity.