Carbon-Support-Based Heterogeneous Nanocatalysts: Synthesis and Applications in Organic Reactions

Carbon-based-materials, owing to their wide availability and low cost, have been utilized for a variety of applications including heterogeneous catalysis. Various carbonaceous materials have been used as supports for transition metals or other materials. These support materials have shown their potential for development of green and sustainable approaches to heterogeneous catalysis. In this review, we discuss the utilization of carbon-based materials as supports for heterogeneous catalysts, especially in organic transformations. We have focused our discussions predominantly on four categories of carbonaceous supports, namely graphene (including, graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO)), graphitic carbon nitride (GCN), carbon nanotubes (CNT) and activated carbon (AC) for various organic transformation reactions. Several approaches for the synthesis of these materials along with their application as heterogeneous catalysts for organic transformation reactions have been elaborated in detail. In addition, different aspects of organic synthesis, including hydrogenation, oxidation, reduction, condensation, and multi-component reactions, catalyzed by these materials have been discussed. Furthermore, organic transformations leading to the sustainable synthesis of valuable products from biomass have also been discussed. Finally, after a brief summary, the future perspectives of this very interesting class of materials are provided.