Hydrotalcite-derived NiCo/AlOx nano-alloy catalyst enabling for highly efficient catalytic amination of 1,6-hexanediol to hexamethyleneimine

The catalytic amination of 1,6-hexanediol to hexamethyleneimine (HMI) introduces an innovative approach for the preparation of 1,6-hexanediamine, which is a critical monomer in the manufacture of nylon-66. This work presents a straightforward and efficient method for the catalytic amination of 1,6-hexanediol to HMI over hydrotalcite-derived Ni 2 Co 1 /AlO x catalyst. Under the optimal reaction conditions, the conversion of 1,6-hexanediol achieves 99.3% with 92.1% of selectivity to HMI. The results indicate that the alloy effects between Ni and Co significantly enhance the catalytic performance. The strategic incorporation of Co facilitates the reduction of NiO species and increases the concentration of metallic nickel (Ni 0 ). Moreover, DFT calculations further reveal that the Ni sites on the (111) crystal plane of the Ni 2 Co 1 alloy serve as the primary catalytic active sites. This work represents a promising green process for production of 1,6-hexanediamine from the reductive amination of 1,6-hexanediol via HMI employing non-noble metal Ni 2 Co 1 /AlO x alloy catalyst.