The Catalytic Activity of Polyaniline in Hydrogenation Reactions with Molecular Hydrogen.

This study unveils a novel property of polyaniline by establishing its catalytic activity in heterogeneous hydrogenation with molecular hydrogen. Polyaniline was activated by heat-treating at different temperatures in a hydrogen atmosphere. The sample treated at 300 °C exhibited the highest catalytic activity for ethylene hydrogenation in the gas phase at atmospheric pressure and for p-nitrotoluene or α-methylstyrene hydrogenation in the liquid phase.

One-Step Electrochemical Preparation of Multilayer Graphene Functionalized with Nitrogen.

A new environmentally friendly one-step method for producing multilayer (preferably 7-9 layers) nitrogen-doped graphene (N-MLG) with a slight amount of oxygen-containing defects was developed. The approach is based on the electrochemical exfoliation of graphite electrode in the presence of azide ions under the conditions of electrolysis with pulse changing of the electrode polarization potential. It was found that usage of azide anions lead not only to the exfoliation of graphite but also to the simultaneous functionalization of graphene sheets by nitrogen atoms (as a result of electrochemical decomposition of azide anions with ammonia evolution).