Synthesis of Nickel Nanoparticles with N-Doped Graphene Shells for Catalytic Reduction Reactions

The synthesis of novel nanoparticles is of general importance for the development of efficient heterogeneous catalysts. Herein, the preparation of carbon-supported nickel-based nanoparticles (NPs), modified by nitrogen-doped graphene layers, is reported for the first time. The resulting materials were characterized in detail by TEM, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), XRD, elemental analysis (EA), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), temperature-programmed reduction (TPR), BET, and Raman analysis. Initial catalytic tests revealed the potential of this class of compounds in hydrogenation reactions.