High Active Catalyst of the Cu–Ag Bimetal Supported on Defect KTaO3 Nanosheets for the Selective Hydrogenation of Cinnamaldehyde to Cinnamyl Alcohol

To individually and effectively generate unsaturated alcohols via the hydrogenation of –C═O in α,β-unsaturated aldehydes is a challenging reaction. In this investigation, Cu–Ag bimetallic nanoparticles supported on ultrathin KTaO 3 nanosheets were successfully developed as a multifunctional catalyst for the precise hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde (CMA) to cinnamyl alcohol (CMO) under room temperature and atmospheric pressure conditions. The catalyst with the optimal component ratio (Cu 1 –Ag 2 /5KTaO 3 ) exhibits 100% conversion of CMA and 100% selectivity for CMO. It reveals that ultrathin KTaO 3 NS offers surface defects and rich Lewis basic sites, which could selectively chemisorb and activate CMA molecules via Ta–O═C coordination. The superior catalytic performance for hydrogenation is attributed to the synergistic effect of Cu, Ag, and KTaO 3 NS. This work provides a strategy to guide the design of highly selective catalysts with functional metal sites for the precise hydrogenation of organic compounds containing multiple unsaturated chemical bonds.