Carbon Nanotubes-Supported Well-Dispersed Pd Nanoparticles for the Efficiently Selective Hydrogenation of Benzoic Acid to Synthesize Cyclohexane Carboxylic Acid

Pd and carbon nanotube (CNT) composites were prepared by well-dispersed deposition of Pd nanoparticles on commercial CNT, and applied to the selective hydrogenation of benzoic acid (BA) to synthesize cyclohexane carboxylic acid (CCA). The catalysts and the hydrogenation products were analyzed by XRD, TEM, TG, FTIR, UV-Vis absorption, GC and GC-MS, respectively. Hydrogenation process was also optimized through varying the reaction parameters. The results demonstrate that Pd/CNT catalysts possess the highest hydrogenation efficiency, give the full conversion of BA and 100.0% selectivity towards CCA at the optimal hydrogenation conditions, by comparing with some commercial hydrogenation catalysts and Pd/C catalysts with commercial carbonaceous supports. The excellent hydrogenation performance of Pd/CNT is attributed to the stable crystalline CNT support and the high dispersion of Pd nanoparticles. In addition, the protic solvent is also beneficial to lower the activation energy barrier of BA hydrogenation, and further to improve the hydrogenation rate. This work implies that CNT can be potentially chosen as an effective carbonaceous support to prepare Pd/C catalyst with an outstanding performance of BA selective hydrogenation.