Highly active Ni–Fe/β-Mo2C and Ni–Co/β-Mo2C catalysts derived from hydrotalcites via nitrogen atmosphere: Promising noble-metal-free catalysts for nitroarene and biomass derived molecule hydrogenation

Abstract

First report on Ni–Fe and Ni–Co alloys on β-Mo2C (NFMC-1 and NCMC-1), which were prepared by temperature programmed reduction (TPR) method using molybdate-intercalated NiFe and NiCo hydrotalcites in the presence of molybdenum blue under N2 at 750 °C. Powder XRD, FESEM, and TEM confirmed the formation of a highly crystalline β-Mo2C phase with uniformly dispersed Ni–M alloy nanoparticles, indicating the presence of an intimate metal carbide interface. The developed Ni–Co/β-Mo2C and Ni–Fe/β-Mo2C were found to be promising catalysts for the hydrogenation of nitroarene and biomass-derived molecules, such as levulinic acid and cinnamaldehyde, under ambient conditions. In particular, the Ni–Co/ β-Mo2C system exhibits better activity, stability and robustness, making it a promising noble-metal-free hydrogenation catalyst.