Pt Nanoparticles Confined in Hollow Mesoporous Silica Nanoreactors for Phenol Selective Hydrogenation to Cyclohexanol

Pt nanoparticles confined in hollow mesoporous nanoreactors (Pt@HMSNs) are prepared by using Pt ion containing polymer micelles as templates. The unique hollow mesoporous nanostructures result in the greatly improved catalytic performance for deep hydrogenations of phenolic compounds to the corresponding cyclohexanol derivatives under mild reaction conditions. Due to their unique hollow mesoporous nanostructures and the confinement of active Pt nanoparticles inside hollow cavities, Pt nanoparticles confined in hollow mesoporous silica nanareactors illustrate a greatly improved catalytic performance for selective hydrogenation of phenol to cyclohexanol.