<p>Supported nanocatalysts with environmental sustainability and high catalytic performance have attracted much attention. A supported nanocatalyst Co@NSC has been studied in this paper. Porous materials with catalytic properties were prepared by anchoring transition metal cobalt onto porous materials doped with nitrogen. The results of the scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) tests demonstrate that the catalyst obtained exhibits an excellent mesoporous structure and a uniform distribution of cobalt elements. The scaffold is rich in N atoms, which can provide enough anchor sites for cobalt to form cobalt-NX. Cobalt groups can improve the catalytic activity of the catalyst. In addition, Co@NSC is porous, the structure has the potential to facilitate the mass transfer of the reactants. In addition, the porous structure of Co@NSC is beneficial to facilitate the mass transfer of reactant. The prepared catalyst performs well in hydrogenating quinolone to corresponding N-formyltetrahydroquinoline. Subsequently, the selectivity and stability of the prepared catalyst were validated.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>