CoPd Nanoalloys with Metal–Organic Framework as Template for Both N-Doped Carbon and Cobalt Precursor: Efficient and Robust Catalysts for Hydrogenation Reactions

In this work, a series of metal–organic framework (MOF)-derived CoPd nanoalloys have been prepared. The nanocatalysts exhibited excellent activities in the hydrogenation of nitroarenes and alkenes in green solvent (ethanol/water) under mild conditions (H₂ balloon, room temperature). Using ZIF-67 as template for both carbon matrix and cobalt precursor coating with a mesoporous SiO₂ layer, the catalyst CoPd/NC@SiO₂ was smoothly constructed. Catalytic results revealed a synergistic effect between Co and Pd components in the hydrogenation process due to the enhanced electron density. The mesoporous SiO₂ shell effectively prevented the sintering of hollow carbon and metal NPs at high temperature, furnishing the well-dispersed nanoalloy catalysts and better catalytic performance. Moreover, the catalyst was durable and showed negligible activity decay in recycling and scale-up experiments, providing a mild and highly efficient way to access amines and arenes.