Herein, nanoscale metallic nanoparticle-incorporated ordered mesoporous carbon catalysts activated by nitrogen-doped graphene (NGr) were fabricated via an efficient multi-component co-assembly of a phenolic resin, nitrate, acetylacetone, the nitrogen-containing compound 1,10-phenanthroline, and Pluronic F127, followed by carbonization. The obtained well-dispersed nitrogen-doped graphene-activated transition metal nanocatalysts possess a 2-D hexagonally arranged pore structure with a high surface area (∼500 m2 g-1) and uniform pore size (∼4.0 nm) and show excellent activity for the selective hydrogenation-reduction of substituted nitroarenes to anilines in an environmentally friendly aqueous solution. The high catalytic performance and durability is attributed to the synergistic effects among the components, the unique structure of the nitrogen-doped graphene layer-coated metallic nanoparticles, and electronic activation of the doped nitrogen.
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