In a recent study, the characterization of the NiFe2O4/N-BCNT magnetic catalyst support was explored in detail. The incorporation of nitrogen atoms into the honeycomb-like lattice of N-BCNTs was found to create high structural disorder. The presence of nitrogen and oxygen-containing functional groups on the surface of the carbon supports was identified using XPS and FTIR spectroscopy.
Further investigation revealed that the NiFe2O4 nanoparticles were richly decorated on the surface of the carbon nanotubes, forming stable interactions. The resulting catalyst support showed promise for catalytic applications due to the stable nature of the catalytic support and the presence of oxygen-containing functional groups that aid in anchoring metal ions.
Subsequent studies involved the decoration of the NiFe2O4-NBCNT support with platinum. The resulting catalyst exhibited high catalytic activity in the hydrogenation of 2,4-dinitrotoluene, producing 2,4-toluylenediamine as the main product. The catalytic performance of the Pt/NiFe2O4/N-BCNT catalyst was found to be superior to other catalysts in the literature, ranking 12th according to the MIRA21 model.
The catalyst displayed excellent reusability, with stable performance over multiple cycles. However, a slight decrease in catalytic activity was observed after the fourth cycle, indicating the need for regeneration to avoid loss of precious metal and activity.
Overall, the Pt/NiFe2O4/N-BCNT catalyst showed great potential for application in catalytic hydrogenation reactions, demonstrating high selectivity and efficiency in the synthesis of 2,4-toluylenediamine. The study highlights the importance of catalyst characterization in understanding and optimizing catalytic performance.
