Phosphorus-Doped Activated Coconut Shell Carbon-Anchored Highly Dispersed Pt for the Chemoselective Hydrogenation of Nitrobenzene to p-Aminophenol

Highly dispersed Pt nanoparticles (∼2.5 nm) on phosphorus-doped activated coconut shell carbon (Pt/P-ACC) were synthesized by a two-step impregnation route. Pt/P-ACC showed a high activity, chemoselectivity, and reusability toward the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene to p-aminophenol, with hydrogen as the reducing agent in sulfuric acid. The effects of P species on the catalyst structure, surface properties, and catalytic performance were investigated. It was found that the Pt/P-ACC catalyst had an excellent catalytic activity due to its smaller Pt nanoparticles and higher content of surface-active metal compared with Pt/ACC. Besides, the experimental results and in situ infrared studies demonstrated that the interaction effect between the Pt and P species imbued the surface of Pt with an electron-rich feature, which decreased the adsorption of electron-rich substrates (that is, phenylhydroxylamine) and prevented their full hydrogenation, leading to enhanced selectivity during the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene to p-aminophenol.