A stable nickel-based catalyst derived from layered double hydroxide for selective hydrogenation of benzonitrile

Abstract Highly-dispersed nickel-based catalysts (NiMgAlO-op) were prepared from NiMgAl layered double hydroxide precursors with various Ni/Mg/Al molar ratios via a one pot method. The obtained catalyst with a Ni:Mg:Al molar ratio of 1:0.75:0.25 was highly active and selective for benzylamine (90.6%) in benzonitrile hydrogenation, mainly owing to the well dispersed Ni nanoparticles and its proper acid-base property. Notably, it showed good stability with negligible loss of activity for up to 10 runs. H 2 -TPD and TEM results indicated that the Ni nanoparticles in NiMg 0.75 Al 0.25 O-op were well dispersed on support with extremely small size (about 3.3 nm), accounting for its excellent catalytic activity. In addition, the strong metal-support interaction in NiMg 0.75 Al 0.25 O-op, as confirmed by H 2 -TPR and XPS, can inhibit the leaching or aggregation of the small Ni nanoparticles during benzonitrile hydrogenation and account for its good stability, with no appreciable aggregation being observed after recycling.