Synthesis of Mesoporous γ-Alumina-Supported Co-Based Catalysts and Their Catalytic Performance for Chemoselective Reduction of Nitroarenes.

Mesoporous γ-alumina (γ-MA)-supported cobalt oxides (CoO) with large surface areas and narrow pore size distributions were first prepared through one-pot hydrolysis of metal nitrates. The obtained CoO/γ-MA materials were impregnated with a water-ethanol solution of 1,10-phenanthroline, followed by treatment at 700 °C in N atmosphere, generating Co-NC/γ-MA catalysts containing N-doped graphitic carbon (NC). The Co-NC/γ-MA catalysts maintained the mesoporous structure of γ-MA, and CoO was reduced to metallic Co nanoparticles highly dispersed in the γ-MA frameworks.