NiCo bimetallic nanoparticles encapsulated in graphite-like carbon layers as efficient and robust hydrogenation catalysts

Abstract

Catalytic hydrogenation by transition metal catalysts instead of noble metal catalysts has attracted considerable attention. Herein, the alloyed NiCo bimetallic nanoparticles encapsulated in nitrogen doped graphite-like carbon layers (Ni_xCo_1−x@NC) with controllable chemical compositions delivered high catalytic performance for hydrogenation of alkenes, alkynes, and nitroarenes. The Ni_xCo_1−x@NC catalysts exhibited a strong chemical composition-depended catalytic hydrogenation activity, in which the Ni_0.5Co_0.5@NC catalysts delivered the best performance. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopic analysis demonstrated that the highest catalytic performance of the Ni_0.5Co_0.5@NC catalysts is attributed to their optimized electronic structures for efficient hydrogen activation.