Pumpkin-derived N-doped porous carbon for enhanced liquid-phase reduction of 2-methyl-4-nitrophenol

Metal-free catalysts with environmental friendless, cost-competitiveness and less susceptibility to leaching and poisoning over metal-based catalysts, have revolutionized in the catalysis domain. In this respect, we herein report the first application of cheap and abundant pumpkin-derived N-doped porous carbon for the reduction of 2-methyl-4-nitrophenol assisted by NaBH4. The obtained catalyst is cost-competitive, efficient and robust, with an attractive mass-normalized rate constant of 4.73 s-1 g-1 and good recycling performance. Systematical analyses demonstrate that the 2-methyl-4-nitrophenol reduction reaction catalyzed by the N-doped carbon proceeds through the Langmuir-Hinshelwood kinetics and the performance enhancement benefits from the strong adsorption and activation of the substrates induced by the electronic modulation in the carbon framework via N-doping. This study opens up new avenues for the high-value use of pumpkin as well as the development of metal-free strategy in more catalytic applications.