High catalytic activity of a bimetallic AgPd alloy supported on UiO-66 derived porous carbon for transfer hydrogenation of nitroarenes using formic acid-formate as the hydrogen source

Bimetallic AgPd nanoparticles anchored on metal–organic framework (UiO-66) derived N-doped porous carbon (NPC-UiO-66) was fabricated and used as a catalyst for the catalytic transfer hydrogenation of nitroarenes using formic acid-formate as the hydrogen source. The results demonstrated that the Ag1Pd9@NPC-UiO-66 composite exhibited extraordinary catalytic activity toward the hydrogenation of nitroarenes to anilines at room temperature. A series of substituted nitroarenes were successfully converted to the corresponding anilines in high yields under ambient conditions with other reducible groups remaining intact. The superior catalytic performance of the prepared catalyst can be attributed to the synergistic effect between the highly dispersed AgPd nanoparticles and the unique structure of the NPC-UiO-66 support, as well as the high adsorption ability of the catalyst for the nitroarenes.