Mo2N nanobelts for dehydrogenation of aromatic alcohols

• Mo2N nanobelts about 60 nm wide and 0.5–7.2 μm long have been synthesized.
• The Mo2N nanobelts selectively catalyzed dehydrogenation of aromatic alcohols.
• The coordinatively unsaturated Mo species might be the catalytically active sites.

Mo2N nanobelts about 60 nm wide and 0.5–7.2 μm long have been synthesized by reacting a belt-shaped α-MoO3 precursor with ammonia at 850 °C. The Mo2N nanobelts effectively and selectively catalyzed dehydrogenation of a variety of aromatic alcohols. The coordinatively unsaturated Mo sites on the surface of the Mo2N nanobelts might be the active species.

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