NiAl and CoAl materials derived from takovite-like LDHs and related structures as efficient chemoselective hydrogenation catalysts

The catalytic performance of metallic catalysts derived from layered double hydroxide (LDH) precursors with nickel or cobalt incorporated in the brucite-like layers besides aluminium (i.e., NiAl takovite and related CoAl) was investigated for the first time in the chemoselective hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde. The precursors in the as-synthesized and calcined forms were thoroughly analysed by ICP, XRD, nitrogen physisorption, DR UV-vis spectroscopy, TPR and in situ XRD after temperature-programmed reduction. According to the XRD results, both as-synthesized samples contained purely LDH phases with degrees of crystallization depending on the nature of incorporated metal cations (i.e., the CoAl sample presents larger crystallites than the NiAl takovite-like sample). For the calcined NiAl and CoAl samples, well-crystallized oxide phases of NiO and Co3O4, respectively, besides amorphous alumina and corresponding spinels were evidenced by XRD. The TPR and in situ XRD results for the calcined samples indicated strong metal–alumina interactions, which resulted in depressed sintering of evolved metal nanoparticles in the high-temperature range of 600–800 °C, in well agreement with TEM analysis. Materials derived from the studied LDH systems are found to be efficient catalysts for the hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde, showing enhanced control over the activity or selectivity, depending on the nature of active metals and the thermal regime of the catalyst activation.