Highly dispersed cobalt oxides nanoparticles on activated carbon fibres as efficient structured catalysts for the transfer hydrogenation of m-nitrostyrene

•Catalytic transfer hydrogenation of nitro-aromatics by hydrazine under mild conditions.•Facile preparation of structured activated carbon fibres (ACF)-based catalysts.•Active phase is Co-oxide nanoparticles (<1.5 nm) confirmed within ACF network.•Challenging reduction of 3-nitro-styrene to m-vinylaniline with yield close to 100%.•The catalysts offer green synthesis routes of arylamines with double CC bonds.

The facile preparation of structured catalysts featuring highly-dispersed non-precious metal (Fe, Ni, Co) oxide nanoparticles stabilized within a super-microporous network of activated carbon fibres (ACF) is described. The catalyst morphology was controlled over multiple levels from the nano-designed active phase up to the macro-structure of the ACF support. A range of physicochemical techniques was used to characterize the catalyst and rationalize the catalytic data during chemoselective transfer hydrogenation of nitroarenes. The challenging reduction of m-nitrostyrene containing an easily reducible vinyl-group was obtained under mild conditions with a near-quantitative yield of m-vinylaniline using hydrazine hydrate as the reducing agent over CoOx/ACF as a structured catalyst.

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