Heteroatom doping-induced Pt dispersion and electronic effect for boosting the catalytic performance in the hydrogenation of nitrobenzene to p-aminophenol

N-doped carbon materials were synthesized using a straightforward salt template method for Pt metal modification, resulting in a reduction in particle size from 4.8 nm to 2.1 nm due to the interaction between Pt and the carrier. The hydrogenation activity of nitrobenzene increased by 4.5 times compared to undoped catalysts. Additionally, the electronic effects of N and Pt enhanced the selectivity of p-aminophenol by up to 20.4 %. The anchoring of Pt by N improved the stability of active metal centers in a strong acidic system, thereby retarding Pt loss. Theoretical calculations and characterization revealed that the enhancement of activity relied on the high dispersion of Pt, while the improvement in product selectivity was associated with changes in the adsorption strength of the phenylhydroxylamine intermediate. N anchoring of Pt, inducing an electron effect, disentangled the activity and selectivity of nitrobenzene hydrogenation for the preparation of p-aminophenol.