Photo enhanced catalytic activity for hydrogenation of nitrobenzene over Pt-Au/TiO2 heterojunction

Hydrogenation of nitroaromatics to the corresponding amines plays a central role in the drug, fine chemical, and petrochemical industry. However, realizing hydrogenation through highly effective and environment-friendly methods remains a significant challenge. Here we demonstrated photo-enhanced catalytic activity for hydrogenation of nitrobenzene using Pt-Au/TiO2 heterojunction as catalyst and hydrogen as reducing agent. The catalytic reaction rate improved 6.5 times under the simulated sunlight compared to the counterpart without light irradiation, and the TOF value of the catalytic reaction achieved as high as 7315 h−1 under light irradiation, better than the previously reported results. Further mechanism investigations indicate that light illumination can promote the activation of hydrogen and nitrobenzene molecules so that the catalytic performance improves significantly. This finding not only develops a green approach for the hydrogenation of nitroaromatics but also opens an avenue for designing high-efficiency photocatalysts.