A MoS2 nanocatalyst with surface-enriched active sites for the heterogeneous transfer hydrogenation of nitroarenes

A highly efficient and reusable plane-curved and interlayer-expanded MoS2 nanocatalyst with increased exposure of active sites was prepared. The catalyst was used for the heterogeneous hydrogen transfer reaction of nitroarenes with hydrazine monohydrate as a reductant under mild reaction conditions without pressure and base, which was different from other hydrogen transfer systems that require the presence of a base (e.g., propan-2-ol/KOH). The sandwiching of carbon between the MoS2 nanosheets increased the distance between the layers of MoS2 and exposed more Mo sites, resulting in superior catalytic performance compared with that of bulk MoS2 catalyst The active hydrogen (H*) generated from N2H4 could directly transfer to the -NO2 groups of nitrobenzene to form aniline followed by N-2 emission, which was confirmed by detecting the gas emission with mass spectrometry during the decomposition of hydrazine or the co-existence of nitrobenzene and hydrazine. (C) 2018, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.