Cobalt catalyst encapsulated by N-doped carbon for selective hydrogenation of aldehyde to alcohol

Furfuryl alcohol is an important industrial chemical and an intermediate for the synthesis of other high-value products. Here, an explosion-assisted strategy was developed to synthesize nitrogen-doped carbon-encapsulated cobalt nanoparticles catalyst Co-NC. The selective hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol can be achieved over Co-NC in aqueous solution successfully. The presence of cobalt nitrate enhanced the explosion process which promoted its decomposition in turn. The high-temperature reduction process accelerated the derivation of carbon nitride into N-containing carbon encapsulating on cobalt nanoparticles. The N-containing coating improves the hydrophilia and catalytic activity of catalyst, thus achieving the selective hydrogenation of aldehydes in aqueous solution.