Magnetically-separable cobalt catalyst embedded in metal nitrate-promoted hierarchically porous N-doped carbon nanospheres for hydrodeoxygenation of lignin-derived species

The creation of non-noble metal magnetically-separable heterogeneous catalysts for the hydrodeoxygenation of biomass to value-added products has received substantial attention. Herein, we report a facile synthesis of magnetically-separable cobalt catalyst embedded in hierarchically porous N-doped carbon nanospheres (Co@N-C) by in situ non-noble metal nitrate-promoted pyrolysis reduction strategy using nitrogen/oxygen co -doped resin polymer spheres as precursors. The facile H2O2 post-treatment process increased surface oxygen -containing groups and improved hydrophilicity to disperse catalysts in aqueous solutions. Moreover, owing to the non-noble metal nanoparticles coated with a graphitic nitrogen-doped carbon layer, the as-prepared Co@N-C-H2O2 catalyst exhibits excellent catalytic activity and stability of vanillin hydrodeoxygenation in aqueous solutions. This strategy can be extended to other non-noble metal nitrates like M@N-C-H2O2 (M = Co, Ni) within good recyclability, magnetically-separable ability, and general applicability for a broad substrate scope, further highlighting the superiority of our active catalysts.

Automated summary

The synthesis of magnetically-separable cobalt catalyst embedded in hierarchically porous N-doped carbon nanospheres (Co@N-C) through in situ non-noble metal nitrate-promoted pyrolysis reduction has been successfully achieved. The catalyst displayed enhanced catalytic activity and stability in the hydrodeoxygenation of vanillin in aqueous solutions, owing to the presence of non-noble metal nanoparticles coated with a graphitic nitrogen-doped carbon layer. This approach can be extended to other non-noble metal nitrates, offering good recyclability, magnetically-separable ability, and general applicability.