In situpreparation of ultrafine Ru nanocatalyst supported on nitrogen‐doped layered double hydroxide by nitrogen glow discharge plasma for catalytic hydrogenation ofN‐ethylcarbazole

Ultrafine Ru nanoparticles (RuNPs) supported on nitrogen‐doped layered double hydroxide (Ru/LDH) were in situ prepared by nitrogen glow discharge plasma (nGDP) without adding any chemical reducing agents or stabilizers. The as‐synthesized Ru/LDH catalysts were characterized by X‐ray diffraction, X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. During treatment with nGDP, the reduction of Ru 3+ and nitrogen doping were carried out simultaneously. The resulting RuNPs has a narrow particle size distribution of 1.41–2.61 nm, an ultrafine average particle size of 1.86 nm, and were uniformly dispersed on nitrogen‐doped LDH. The complexation of RuNPs and O/N‐containing functional groups on LDH improve the catalytic activity and stability of Ru/LDH. The catalyst exhibited excellent properties for the hydrogenation reaction of N ‐ethylcarbazole (NEC). The conversion of NEC and the selectivity of 12H‐NEC were 100% and 99.06% for 1 hr at 120°C and 6 MPa H 2 , respectively. The mass hydrogen storage capacity was 5.78 wt%. The apparent activation energy was 35.78 kJ/mol.