Pd nanoparticles decorated N-doped holey graphene assembled on aluminum silicate fibers agglomerate for catalytic continuous-flow reduction of nitroarenes.

[Display omitted] • A hydrothermal co-assembling strategy is employed to synthesize an assembly catalyst. • N-doped holey graphene (NHG) anchored Pd nanoparticles (Pd NP) is assembled with fibrous aluminum silicate (ASFs) agglomerate. • The Pd NP /NHG-ASFs catalyst integrated to a fixed-bed system allows continuous-flow reduction of nitroarenes. • The fixed-bed system based on Pd NP /NHG-ASFs catalyst displays a high processing rate. Rational design and preparation of efficient fixed-bed catalysts for continuous-flow system are highly desired but remain daunting challenges. Herein, we report the synthesis of an assembly catalyst consisted of aluminium silicate fibers (ASFs) agglomerate and Pd nanoparticles (Pd NP) decorated N-doped holey graphene (NHG) through a facile hydrothermal co-assembling strategy. Due to the interconnect network and porous structure, the as-obtained Pd NP /NHG-ASFs assembly is suitable to be utilized as a fixed-bed catalyst for organic reactions in continuous-flow mode. The processing rate is much higher than that of the previously reported fixed-bed systems based on metal-based catalysts. In addition, the catalytic continuous-flow system displays a remarkable durability and good substrate generality to other substituted nitrobenzenes. This work provides rational design concept for efficient fixed-bed catalyst with dual active components and paves a way for the industrial application in organic synthesis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]