Three-dimensional nitrogen-doped graphene foam as metal-free catalyst for the hydrogenation reduction of p-nitrophenol.

Developing metal-free catalysts for various applications has been the focus of high interest over the past decade, especially aiming to replace the expensive noble metal-based catalysts. Herein, a well-defined three-dimensional nitrogen-doped graphene foam (3D-NGF) is synthesized and employed as a metal-free catalyst for the hydrogenation reduction of p-Nitrophenol to p-Aminophenol. The apparent activation energy is calculated, and the reaction mechanism with 3D-NGF as the catalyst for the hydrogenation reduction of p-Nitrophenol is proposed. Importantly, the 3D-NGF demonstrates high catalytic activity and robust stability. The high activity can be ascribed to the synergistic effect between the nitrogen-doping induced change in electronic property and the 3D foam-like structure.