N-doped carbon nanotubes for liquid-phase CC bond hydrogenation

The introduction of foreign elements inside the channel of carbon nanotubes could lead to a significant modification of the intrinsic properties of these nanomaterials. Nitrogen atoms entering in the graphene sheets as substitute of carbon could modify in a large extend the acido-basic properties and also adsorption of the nanotube itself. Depending on the synthesis conditions, i.e. nature of the N-source, temperature and C-to-N atomic ratio, various N-doped carbon nanotubes can be synthesized with different surface properties. The aim of the present work is to report the synthesis of N-doped CNTs using a common nitrogen source precursor namely ammonia (NH3) with C2H6 as carbon source. The as-synthesized N-CNTs were subsequently employed as catalyst support in the liquid-phase hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde using palladium as an active phase.