Magnetically induced synthesis of mesoporous amorphous CoB nanochains for efficient selective hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde to cinnamyl alcohol

Amorphous metal-boron alloys have attracted extensive interest in catalytic reactions because a large number of randomly oriented bonds constitute a glass-like structure with abundant defects and unsaturated surface atoms which are catalytically active. However, the synthesis of non-precious amorphous metal-boron with a multilevel structure remains a challenging task. Here, ultra-long mesoporous cobalt-boron (CoB) amorphous alloy nanochains are firstly synthesized by using the soft-templating approach with the assistance of a magnetic field. Owing to the high surface area and the unique behavior of Co within the Co-B alloy, mesoporous CoB nanochains show superior activity and selectivity in liquid-phase cinnamaldehyde (CMA) hydrogenation in cinnamyl alcohol (CMO). This work opens an avenue for the exploration of mesoporous amorphous metal alloys towards liquid-phase selective hydrogenation reaction.