Coupled Co-Doped MoS₂ and CoS₂ as the Dual-Active Site Catalyst for Chemoselective Hydrogenation

Catalytic hydrogenation plays an important role in the industrial production of fine chemicals. Herein, we report a Co-doped MoS₂ and CoS₂ composite with a coupling interface and successfully apply it for the chemoselective hydrogenation of p-chloronitrobenzene to p-chloroaniline. The target catalyst 0.5CoMoS has ∼100% conversion and ∼100% selectivity. Experiments and theoretical calculations reveal that CoS₂ is more favorable for adsorbing and activating H₂ and provides active hydrogen (H_a) to Co-doped MoS₂ by the coupling interface. By matching the production and consumption rates of H_a, the maximization of the reaction yield was achieved. This work may promote the study of MoS₂-based catalysts for chemoselective hydrogenation.