Hyper-crosslinked polymer derived porous Co@CN catalyst for selective hydrogenation of quinoline

A benzotrizole-based hyper-crosslinked polymer (HCP) was employed to load cobalt and prepare a novel metal-containing nitrogen-doped carbon catalyst for the selective hydrogenation of quinoline . The high porosity, large surface area and nitrogen-containing monomer of HCP made a positive contribution to metal loading. Owing to the excellent thermostability of HCP, the original porous texture of HCP was partially reserved during pyrolysis , which resulted in highly dispersive Co species in the N-doped carbon material. The remaining mesopores in Co@CN catalyst during thermal decomposition provided available diffusion channels for substrates, which facilitated their full contact with catalytic active sites and their effective conversion. The prepared Co@CN catalyst achieved a conversion rate of 100% and a selectivity of 100% in the hydrogenation of quinoline into 1, 2, 3, 4-tetra-hydroquinoline in water at 100 °C under 3 MPa H 2 . The as-synthesized catalyst had good reuse performance, exhibiting >95% conversion rate and >99% selectivity even after 12 cycles. Moreover, the catalyst could also be applied to the selective hydrogenation of a serial of quinoline derivatives. The study provided a useful strategy for constructing metal-doped carbon materials which might be applicable for other metals and other reactions.