High Active Catalyst of the Cu–Ag Bimetal Supported on Defect KTaO₃ Nanosheets for the Selective Hydrogenation of Cinnamaldehyde to Cinnamyl Alcohol

To individually and effectively generate unsaturated alcohols via the hydrogenation of –C═O in α,β-unsaturated aldehydes is a challenging reaction. In this investigation, Cu–Ag bimetallic nanoparticles supported on ultrathin KTaO3 nanosheets were successfully developed as a multifunctional catalyst for the precise hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde (CMA) to cinnamyl alcohol (CMO) under room temperature and atmospheric pressure conditions. The catalyst with the optimal component ratio (Cu1–Ag2/5KTaO3) exhibits 100% conversion of CMA and 100% selectivity for CMO. It reveals that ultrathin KTaO3 NS offers surface defects and rich Lewis basic sites, which could selectively chemisorb and activate CMA molecules via Ta–O═C coordination. The superior catalytic performance for hydrogenation is attributed to the synergistic effect of Cu, Ag, and KTaO3 NS. This work provides a strategy to guide the design of highly selective catalysts with functional metal sites for the precise hydrogenation of organic compounds containing multiple unsaturated chemical bonds.