Facile Synthesis of Carbon Supported CuO-Cu3P Heterostructure for Heterogeneous Catalysis

Abstract

The formation of anilines–chief intermediates in the agrochemical field and pharmaceutical industries–counts on the precious earth metal catalysts that particularly reduce only nitro groups present on aromatic rings bearing other simply reducible groups. For this reason, the formation of such heterogenous catalysts which possess long term stability, efficiency, and selectivity in order to reduce substituted nitroarenes is demanding. Transition metal phosphides possess interesting magnetic, catalytic, and electronic features. The synthesis of transition metal phosphides is quite tough. In the literature reported, first copper oxides were made and then phosphine gas was passed through them. Phosphine gas is highly toxic and poisonous. In this work, CuO-Cu3P/C@800 catalyst is prepared through a very facile and environment friendly route. Only single source precursors were used to prepare it. This catalyst exhibited high catalytic efficacy i.e., 100% conversion with superior selectivity (>99%). This catalyst provides an excellent relationship of catalytic functioning with the coordination environment of CuO-Cu3P/C@800 and it serves as a potent catalyst for the formation of aromatic anilines by reducing the nitroarenes through molecular hydrogen.