A biomass-derived N-doped porous carbon catalyst for the aerobic dehydrogenation of nitrogen heterocycles

Abstract

N-doped porous carbon (NC) was synthesized from sugar cane bagasse, which is a sustainable and widely available biomass waste. The preferred NC sample had a well-developed porous structure, a graphene-like surface morphology and different N species. More importantly, the heterogeneous carbocatalyst exhibited superior catalytic performance in the aerobic dehydrogenation of various heterocyclic nitrogen compounds (49 examples, up to 96% yield), similar to that of C₃N₄ and GO. Characterization by TEM, BET and XPS accompanied by the EPR analysis revealed that the enhanced catalytic properties of NC came from its high activation ability for both O₂ and heterocyclic nitrogen, attributed to the porous structure and pyridinic N (N-6) species, respectively.