Pt Nanoclusters Supported on Ti3C2Tx Nanosheets for the Selective Hydrogenation of Halogenated Nitroarenes under Mild Conditions

We successfully constructed an ultrathin Ti3C2Tx supported Pt nanocluster catalyst for highly selective and efficient hydrogenation of p-chloronitrobenzene (p-CNB) to p-chloroaniline (p-CAN) under mild conditions (30 °C, 0.1 MPa H2). The Pt/Ti3C2Tx catalyst displayed a very high conversion (>99%) and selectivity (>99%). In addition, a higher reaction rate (41 mol h–1 g–1) was obtained in comparison with the previously reported catalysts. The excellent catalytic activity of Pt/Ti3C2Tx was attributed to the strong metal–support interactions between Pt nanoclusters and the support, in which the electrons were transferred from Ti3C2Tx to Pt sites, affording a high electron density of Pt active sites. Moreover, the electrostatic repulsion between C–Cl moiety and Pt sites inhibited the dechlorination process. In addition, the Pt/Ti3C2Tx catalyst also exhibited excellent performance in substrate scope (reducible heterocyclics such as pyridine and phthalimide), stability (10th cycles, conversion >99% and selectivity 98%), and gram-scale reaction (99% yield, 1.89 g). This work will promote the research in constructing efficient and highly selective noble metal-based catalysts for hydrogenation of halogenated nitroarenes.