Palladium supported on titanium carbide: A highly efficient, durable, and recyclable bifunctional catalyst for the transformation of 4-chlorophenol and 4-nitrophenol

Abstract

Developing highly efficient and recyclable catalysts for the transformation of toxic organic contaminates still remains a challenge. Herein, Titanium Carbide (Ti3C2) MXene modified by alkali treatment process was selected as a support (designated as alk-Ti3C2X2, where X represents the surface terminations) for the synthesis of Pd/alk-Ti3C2X2. Results show that the alkali treatment leads to the increase of surface area and surface oxygen-containing groups of Ti3C2X2, thereby facilitating the dispersion and stabilization of Pd species on the surface of alk-Ti3C2X2. The Pd/alk-Ti3C2X2 catalyst shows excellent catalytic activity for the hydrodechlorination of 4-chlorophenol and the hydrogenation of 4-nitrophenol in aqueous solution at 25°C and hydrogen balloon pressure. High initial reaction rates of 216.6 and 126.3 min−1·gpd−1 are observed for the hydrodechlorination of 4-chlorophenol and hydrogenation of 4-nitrophenol, respectively. Most importantly, Pd/alk-Ti3C2X2 exhibits excellent stability and recyclability in both reactions without any promoters. The superior property of Pd/alk-Ti3C2X2 makes it as a potential material for practical applications.