Poly(2-aminothiazole) as a unique precursor for nitrogen and sulfur co-doped porous carbon: immobilization of very small gold nanoparticles and its catalytic application

In this contribution, we report two important achievements; first the synthesis of poly(2-aminothiaozle) (P2AT) with a plate structure containing nanoparticles by a rapidly initiated strategy, and second, the one-step synthesis of nitrogen and sulfur co-doped porous carbon materials with unique morphology using P2AT as the source of both N and S, through a simple hydrothermal carbonization reaction. The obtained functional carbon may serve to develop new carbon materials for various applications, especially catalysis, because of the excellent properties, such as straightforward synthesis, defined morphology, high porosity, and heteroatom doping. As one of the most important applications, we used the porous carbon materials as a support for immobilizing gold nanoparticles (AuNPs). Benefiting from the synergistic effects of N and S co-doping, very small AuNPs, and unique structural features, the as-obtained material was demonstrated to be a superior catalyst for reduction of nitrobenzenes.