Synthesis of nitrogen-doped carbon coated TiO2 microspheres and its application as metal support in cinnamaldehyde hydrogenation.

N-doped carbon coated TiO 2 microspheres (CNx/TiO 2 ) were synthesized by the carbonization of the polypyrrole (PPy) coating on the surface of TiO 2 microspheres and used as support to disperse Pt and PtCo nanoparticles for investing the selective hydrogenation of cinnamaldehyde. The support and catalysts have been characterized in terms of X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), transmission electron microscope (TEM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The hydrogenation results showed the conversion increased with an increase of CNx amount until the CNx coated TiO 2 microspheres completely. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]