Dinitroaromatic hydrogenation over a Pt@Beta zeolite catalyst with ammonia borane
Zijian Niu1,2, Chen Wang2, Zhuangzhuang Ren1
1State Key Laboratory of Inorganic Synthesis and Preparative Chemistry, College of Chemistry, Jilin University, Changchun 130012, China. rsbai@imu.edu.cn.
Chemical Communications (Cambridge, England)
|January 9, 2026
Summary
Researchers developed a novel catalyst by embedding platinum (Pt) single atoms and nanoclusters within a Beta zeolite framework. This Pt@β-Air catalyst achieved 99% selectivity for 2,4-diaminotoluene in hydrogenation reactions.
Area of Science:
- Catalysis
- Materials Science
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Zeolites are widely used as catalyst supports due to their unique porous structures.
- Controlling the size and dispersion of metal nanoparticles within zeolite frameworks is crucial for catalytic performance.
- Single-atom catalysts offer high atom utilization efficiency but can suffer from instability.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an efficient synthesis strategy for encapsulating highly dispersed platinum species within a Beta zeolite framework.
- To investigate the catalytic performance of platinum single atoms and nanoclusters within Beta zeolite for the hydrogenation of 2,4-dinitrotoluene.
- To understand the synergistic effects between different forms of platinum species on catalytic selectivity.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of Pt@β-Air catalyst using a novel encapsulation strategy.
- Characterization of the catalyst using various techniques to confirm the presence and dispersion of Pt species.
- Testing the catalyst's performance in the hydrogenation of 2,4-dinitrotoluene under specific reaction conditions.
Main Results:
- The Pt@β-Air catalyst demonstrated high dispersion of platinum species, including single atoms and nanoclusters, within the Beta zeolite framework.
- The catalyst achieved an exceptional 2,4-diaminotoluene selectivity of 99% in the hydrogenation of 2,4-dinitrotoluene.
- Catalysts with only Pt clusters (49% selectivity) or nanoparticles (0% selectivity) showed significantly lower performance, highlighting the importance of single-atom Pt.
Conclusions:
- The synergistic interaction between Pt single atoms and nanoclusters within the Beta zeolite framework is key to achieving high selectivity.
- The developed Pt@β-Air catalyst represents an efficient and highly selective material for the hydrogenation of 2,4-dinitrotoluene.
- This work provides a promising strategy for designing advanced single-atom and sub-nanocluster catalysts for chemical transformations.
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