A metal-free carbon catalyst for highly selective electrocatalytic reduction of nitrostyrene

Abstract

We develop an oxidized graphite fiber catalyst that precisely reduces the nitro groups, while completely preserving the CC structure. The system demonstrates 79% faradaic efficiency for 3-vinylaniline with a high production rate of 0.146 mmol cm⁻² h⁻¹—2.1× higher than the best report. During 12 consecutive cycles at 30 mA cm⁻², the OGF catalyst maintains its activity and selectivity.