Enhancement of the hydrogenation activity of a Pd-tridecilamine (TDA) complex by confinement in carbon nanotubes

• Carbon nanotubes have been submitted to different chemical and physical treatments.
• Acid treatment and oxidation remove residual metal and tube caps leading to both-ends open CNTs.
• The PdTDA complex is mainly confined inside CNTs with both-ends open.
• Confinement of the PdTDA complex leads to enhanced catalytic activity and stability.

An active hydrogenation Pd complex has been immobilised by impregnation on CNTs submitted to several treatments that lead to important differences in their surface chemistry and in the proportion of tubes with both ends open. Most of the hybrid catalysts are more active than the complex in homogeneous phase, but the support properties have an important impact in the catalytic activity. In general, the more developed the surface chemistry, the lower the activity. However, when CNTs are open at both ends, the Pd complex can enter the tubular cavity and an important enhancement of the catalytic activity due to a confinement effect is observed.

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