Rational design of nitrogen-doped carbon for palladium catalysts in hydrogenation of hydrazo compounds

We synthesized CN11, a carbon nitride material rich in sp 3 hybrid graphitic nitrogen (sp 3 -N), employing a facile oxalic acid-assisted melamine molecular assembly strategy. CN11 promoted the formation of Pd nanoparticles (NPs) predominantly exposing {2 0 0} facets, termed Pd/CN11-2. This facet-specific configuration significantly boosted hydrogen adsorption, leading to notable improvements in catalytic activity. Compared to Pd/XC-72-2 and Pd/g-C 3 N 4 -2, Pd/CN11-2 exhibited a remarkable two-fold and nineteen-fold increase in catalytic yield for hydrazo compound hydrogenation, respectively. Pd/CN11-2 also demonstrated robust performance across a range of reaction conditions, maintaining excellent yield. This study emphasizes the critical role of tailored support structures in controlling Pd NPs facets, thereby enhancing hydrogenation efficiency. It provides valuable insights for advancing the industrial application of Pd-based catalysts, underscoring the importance of strategic support modulation for optimizing catalytic performance.