Preparation of Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Material from Monosodium Glutamate and Its Catalytic Performance

Nitrogen doped (N-doped) carbon materials (NCMs) are generally used as electrode materials, and seldom used as catalysts in chemical reaction. In this work, NCMs were prepared by high-temperature pyrolysis using monosodium glutamate as sources of both carbon and nitrogen, magnesium acetate as a porogen, and nickel hydroxide as a graphitization catalyst. The catalytic performance of NCMs was investigated in the reduction of 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) with potassium borohydride at 30 C. As metalfree catalysts, all of the NCMs can catalyze the reaction. The graphitization degree and N-doped amount of NCM have a great influence on the catalytic activity. The NCM annealed at 800 degrees C has higher activity and stability. The reaction rate constant can reach 0.57 min(-1), and the activation energy was about 36.4 kJ/mol. Copyright (c) 2019 BCREC Group. All rights reserved