CNF-Functionalization as Versatile Tool for Tuning Activity in Cellulose-Derived Product Hydrogenation
Andrea Jouve1, Stefano Cattaneo2, Sofia Capelli3
1Dipartimento di Chimica, Università degli Studi di Milano, via Golgi 19, I-20133 Milano, Italy. andrea.jouve@unimi.it.
Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
|January 19, 2019
Summary
Functionalizing carbon nanofibers with O, N, or P groups impacts ruthenium-catalyzed hydrogenation. While O- and N-groups boost hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) conversion, N- and P-groups decrease activity and alter selectivity in levulinic acid (LA) hydrogenation.
Area of Science:
- Catalysis
- Materials Science
- Chemical Engineering
Background:
- Carbon nanofibers (CNFs) are versatile supports for heterogeneous catalysis.
- Functionalization of catalyst supports can tune their properties and performance.
- Ruthenium (Ru) is an active catalyst for hydrogenation reactions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of support functionalization on Ru-catalyzed hydrogenation of hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and levulinic acid (LA).
- To explore how introducing oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) containing groups onto CNFs influences catalytic activity and selectivity.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis of functionalized carbon nanofibers (CNFs) with O, N, and P groups.
- Preparation of Ru-catalyzed systems using bare and functionalized CNFs as supports.
- Evaluation of catalytic performance in HMF and LA hydrogenation reactions, analyzing activity and selectivity.
Main Results:
- For HMF hydrogenation to gamma-valerolactone (GVL), O- and N-functionalized CNFs significantly enhanced catalytic activity compared to bare CNFs, while selectivity remained unaffected.
- For LA hydrogenation, functionalization showed no beneficial effect on activity; CNFs-O performed similarly to bare CNFs.
- CNFs-N and CNFs-P supports led to decreased activity and increased production of ethers due to solvent interaction during LA hydrogenation.
Conclusions:
- Support functionalization critically impacts Ru-catalyzed hydrogenation, with varying effects depending on the reactant and functional group.
- O- and N-functionalization are beneficial for HMF hydrogenation activity, whereas N- and P-functionalization are detrimental for LA hydrogenation, causing undesired side reactions.
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