CoOx@Co Nanoparticle‐based Catalyst for Efficient Selective Transfer Hydrogenation of α,β‐Unsaturated Aldehydes

Abstract Currently, developing simple and effective catalysts for selective hydrogenation of α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes to unsaturated alcohols is challenging. Herein, an efficient CoO x ‐shell/Co‐core structured nanoparticle catalyst is synthesized by a facile ultrasonic‐assisted carbothermal reduction method. The resultant catalyst exhibits outstanding catalytic performance toward the selective transfer hydrogenation of a wide spectrum of α,β‐unsaturated aldehydes into corresponding unsaturated alcohols with over 90 % selectivity. This is the simplest nonprecious metal catalyst to be reported for the selective hydrogenation of unsaturated aldehydes.