Catalytic activity of nickel nanoparticles in hydrogenation of p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol

Nickel nanoparticles with different sizes and different structures were prepared by reducing nickel oxalate with hydrazine hydrate in the presence of citric acid, sodium dodecyl sulphonate, Tween 80, PEG 6000, and D-sorbitol as organic modifiers. The type of organic modifiers affected the size and the structure of the resultant nickel nanoparticles. The catalytic activities of the nickel nanoparticles increased with decreasing the particle size in the hydrogenation of p-nitrophenol to p-aminophenol. All the as-prepared nickel nanoparticles showed higher catalytic activity and selectivity than conventional Raney Ni catalyst.