Highly selective electrocatalytic hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde over tin dioxide-supported palladium nanocatalysts

Selective hydrogenation of a, b-unsaturated aldehydes has always been a hot research topic owing to favorable thermodynamics in C=C hydrogenation. In this work, a series of Pd/SnO2 nanocatalysts were facilely synthesized under mild conditions, via the reduction of Na2PdCl4 by dimethylaminoborane. Under galvanostatic electrolysis at 3.33 mA cm-2 for 8 h, the selective conversion of cinnamaldehyde (CAL) was achieved over Pd/SnO2-coated carbon fiber in neutral phosphate buffer, giving the cinnamyl alcohol (COL) selectivity of 78.85% at the conversion of 84.88%. The Pd/SnO2 nanocatalysts outperform commercial Pd/ C catalysts, showing high COL selectivity and faradaic efficiency. The cathodic reduction potential of CAL over Pd4.3/SnO2 occurs at -0.92 V. The SnO2 support is beneficial to promote the C=O adsorption of CAL and lower the HER activity of Pd nanocatalysts, thereby contributing to superior activity of Pd4.3/SnO2 for selective hydrogenation of CAL. (c) 2022 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

In this study, Pd/SnO2 nanocatalysts were synthesized and used for selective hydrogenation of a, b-unsaturated aldehydes. The results showed high selectivity and faradaic efficiency, outperforming commercial Pd/C catalysts.