Structural Ni0–Niδ+ Pair Sites for Highly Active Hydrogenation of Nitriles to Primary Amines

Supported metal pair sites have sparked interest due to their tremendous potential as bifunctional catalysts. Here, we report the structural Ni0–Niδ+ pair sites constructed in a well-defined nanocrystal phase of Ni3P. These Ni0–Niδ+ pair sites exhibited a remarkable product formation rate of 123 molBA/molmetal/h for the hydrogenation of benzonitrile (BN) to benzylamine (BA). The heterogeneity of surface Ni atoms over the Ni3P crystal created two types of metal centers, Ni0 and Niδ+, with a specific spatial distance of 4–5 Å. The Ni0 site acted as the center for H2 activation, while the Niδ+ site served as the adsorption and activation center for the C ≡ N group. The highly efficient cooperation effect of Ni0–Niδ+ pair sites resulted in a TOF of 2915 h–1 in BN hydrogenation, which is 2.4 and 9.7 times higher than that over the mono-Ni0 and -Niδ+ sites, respectively.