Facile synthesis of ruthenium, palladium and platinum nanoparticles supported on three types of carbon nanofibers (platelet: CNF-P, tubular: CNF-T, herringbone: CNF-H) is accomplished by pyrolysis of ruthenium carbonyl clusters, and pyrolysis and hydrogenolysis of Pd2(dba)3·CHCl3 and Pt(dba)2 [dba: dibenzylideneacetone]. TEM studies of these M/CNFs revealed that size-controlled metal nanoparticles existed on the CNFs, and that of the location was dependent on the surface nanostructures of CNFs: On the edge of the graphite layers (CNF-P), in the tubes and on the surface (CNF-T), and between the layers and on the edge (CNF-H). Among these M/CNFs, the Ru/CNF-P showed excellent catalytic activity towards arene hydrogenation with high reusability and functional group tolerance. The present Ru system is applicable to the production of octahydro-1,1'-binaphthyls by partial hydrogenation of 1,1'-binaphthyls. While the Pt/CNF-P behaves as an efficient catalyst for hydrogenation of substituted nitroarenes to the corresponding aniline derivatives with other functional groups remaining intact.
