Efficient transfer hydrogenation of furfural via F doping in mesoporous ZrO₂

Designing highly active and robust catalysts for transfer hydrogenation of biomass-derived aldehydes remains challenging. Herein, we report a F-modified mesoporous ZrO₂ (F-mZrO₂) obtained through pyrolysis of the F-mUiO-66 precursor, offering a simple and scalable strategy to construct mesoporous oxides with tunable surface chemistry. The incorporation of fluorine species electronically modulates neighboring Zr centers, significantly enhancing Lewis acidity and carbonyl-group polarization. Benefiting from this electronic tuning, F-mZrO₂ achieves a 97.8% yield for furfural (FFA) transfer hydrogenation to furfuryl alcohol (FOL) at 170 °C using isopropanol (IPA). Mechanistic studies with isotopically labeled IPA confirm a classical MPV hydride-transfer pathway. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations further reveal that F modification regulates the electronic structure of Zr sites and increases acidity. Furthermore, the catalyst exhibits excellent stability over multiple cycles with a robust structure. This work demonstrates a generalizable route for tailoring the electronic structures of mesoporous oxides via MOF-derived fluorine incorporation, enabling efficient catalysis in biomass upgrading.