Edge-Confined Rh<sub>2</sub>/MoS<sub>2</sub> Dual-Atom\nCatalyst for Selective Activation of Nitro Group to Amino Group at\nRoom Temperature

Selective\nhydrogenation of nitroarenes to produce functionalized\nanilines is highly important to synthesize fine and bulk chemicals,\nbut it remains challenging to achieve high selectivity at room temperature.\nHere, we report that a steric-confinement Rh dual atom catalyst is\nconstructed by anchoring dual Rh atoms on the edge Mo vacancies of\nthin-layered MoS<sub>2</sub> nanosheets (Rh<sub>2</sub>/MoS<sub>2</sub> dual atom catalyst), which shows excellent catalytic conversion\n(100%) and selectivity (100%) for the selective hydrogenation of a\nfamily of nitroarene derivatives to functionalized anilines at room\ntemperature. Extensive experimental characterizations and theoretical\ncalculations indicate that the steric-confinement Rh<sub>2</sub> atoms,\nmaintaining an exact metal–metal separation of 3.5 Å,\nfacilitate spatially matched adsorption of the nitro group through\na bidentate configuration. This significantly enhances the reactivity\nof nitro groups and drives the selective synthesis of functionalized\nanilines. The approach of employing bimetallic atoms to construct\nedge-confined active sites, as reported in this study, paves the way\nto develop highly selective catalysts for the targeted hydrogenation\nof nitroarenes.