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

Ying Mei Zhou (School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xuzhou University of Technology, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221018)
Xiao Hui Wang (School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xuzhou University of Technology, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221018)
Ke Ying Cai (School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xuzhou University of Technology, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221018)
Ji Ming Wu (School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xuzhou University of Technology, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221018)
Peng Wang (School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xuzhou University of Technology, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221018)
Ming Song (School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Xuzhou University of Technology, Xuzhou, Jiangsu 221018)

Bulletin of Chemical Reaction Engineering & Catalysis
2019: BCREC Volume 14 Issue 1 Year 2019 (April 2019)

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 ºC. As metal-free 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 ºC 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.