Modulated electronic structure of Pd nanoparticles on Mg(OH)2 for selective benzonitrile hydrogenation into benzylamine at a low temperature

Abstract

Nitrile hydrogenation represents an atom-economical and green approach to yield the highly value-added primary amines, which suffers from harsh conditions and serious selectivity challenges. Herein, we demonstrated Pd nanoparticles anchored on ultrathin plate-like porous magnesium hydrate (Mg(OH)₂) supports for the highly selective synthesis of benzylamine from benzonitrile hydrogenation in the absence of additives at 30 °C. Such a selectively catalytic performance could be attributed to the enriched electronic density of Pd nanoparticles on the basic supports of Mg(OH)₂, owing to the strong electronic metal–support interaction. Pd nanoparticles with high electronic density can significantly weaken the strong adsorption of benzylamine, subsequently avoiding the deactivation of catalysts at low temperatures and suppressing the side reactions. We anticipate that the electronic modification of active sites through metal–support interaction provides a feasible strategy for the optimization of metal catalysts.