Biomass Tremella‐Derived Fe‐Fe₃C‐Fe₃O₄ Incorporated Into Carbon–Nitrogen Catalyst for Chemoselective Hydrogenation of Nitroarenes

ABSTRACT

A nitrogen‐doped carbon‐supported Fe‐Fe₃C‐Fe₃O₄ composite (Fe‐Fe₃C‐Fe₃O₄@CN) has been synthesized through a one‐step pyrolysis of an iron‐based complex (Fe@tremella‐est), in alignment with the principles of surface organometallic chemistry (SOMC). The Fe@tremella‐est complex was synthesized through a straightforward chelation process using N‐containing alanine‐modified tremella (tremella‐est) as the raw material. This approach enhances the resulting catalyst by providing a large specific surface area, high dispersity, and an increased number of Fe‐N species. These distinctive advantages confer upon Fe‐Fe₃C‐Fe₃O₄@CN a higher catalytic efficiency compared with traditional catalysts (Fe‐Fe₃C@CN and Fe‐Fe₃C@CN‐550), along with enhanced stability during recycling experiments. This SOMC strategy may serve as a new framework for the synthesis of biomass‐derived nanocatalysts for various catalytic reactions.