Robust Co<sub>3</sub>O<sub>4</sub> nanocatalysts supported on biomass-derived porous N-doped carbon toward low-pressure hydrogenation of furfural

doi:10.1007/s11706-023-0645-9

Front. Mater. Sci.

2023, Vol. 17

Issue (2) : 230645 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11706-023-0645-9

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Robust Co₃O₄ nanocatalysts supported on biomass-derived porous N-doped carbon toward low-pressure hydrogenation of furfural

Lin Zhang, Lanlan Cheng, Yechen Hu, Qingguang Xiao, Xiufang Chen(

), Wangyang Lu

National Engineering Lab for Textile Fiber Materials & Processing Technology (Zhejiang), Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China

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Abstract

The catalytic conversion of biomass platform chemicals using abundant non-noble metal nanocatalysts is a challenging topic. Here, high-density cobalt oxide nanoparticles loaded on biomass-derived porous N-doped carbon (NC) was fabricated by a tandem hydrothermal pyrolysis and mild nitrate decomposition process, which is a green and cheap preparation method. The Co₃O₄ nanoparticles with the average size of 12 nm were uniformly distributed on the porous NC. The nanocomposites also possessed large surface area, high N content, good dispersibility in isopropanol, and furfural absorbability. Due to these characteristics, the novel cobalt nanocatalyst exhibited high catalytic activity for producing furfuryl alcohol, yielding 98.7% of the conversion and 97.1% of the selectivity at 160 °C for 6 h under 1 bar H₂. The control experiments implied that both direct hydrogenation and transfer hydrogenation pathways co-existed in the hydrogenation reaction. The excellent catalytic activity of Co₃O₄@NC was attributed to the cooperative effects of porous NC and Co₃O₄ nanoparticles. This approach provides a new idea to design effective high-density non-noble metal oxide nanocatalysts for hydrogenation reactions, which can make full use of sustainable natural biomass.

Keywords biomass N-doped carbon cobalt oxide nanoparticle hydrogenation reaction low pressure

Corresponding Author(s): Xiufang Chen

Issue Date: 26 April 2023

Cite this article:

Lin Zhang,Lanlan Cheng,Yechen Hu, et al. Robust Co₃O₄ nanocatalysts supported on biomass-derived porous N-doped carbon toward low-pressure hydrogenation of furfural[J]. Front. Mater. Sci., 2023, 17(2): 230645.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/foms/EN/10.1007/s11706-023-0645-9
https://academic.hep.com.cn/foms/EN/Y2023/V17/I2/230645

Fig.1 A schematic pathway for FAL hydrogenation.

Fig.2 The preparation procedure of Co₃O₄@NC catalysts.

Fig.3 SEM images of (a)(b) NC and (c)(d) Co₃O₄@NC. (e) TEM image, (f)(g) HRTEM images, (h) SAED pattern, (i) SEM image and (j) corresponding elemental mapping images of Co₃O₄@NC.

Fig.4 (a) N₂ adsorption/desorption isotherms and (b) corresponding pore size distributions of NC and Co₃O₄@NC.

Fig.5 (a) XRD patterns and (b) FTIR spectra of different samples.

Fig.6 High-resolution XPS spectra for (a) Co 2p, (b) C 1s, and (c) N 1s in NC and Co₃O₄@NC.

Fig.7 The dispersions of 10 mg Co₃O₄@C (left) and Co₃O₄@NC (right) in 15 mL isopropanol.

Fig.8 The amount of furfural absorbed on Co₃O₄@NC and Co₃O₄@C.

Tab.1 The hydrogenation of FAL over the different catalysts^a)

Fig.9 The hydrogenation of FAL over the Co₃O₄@NC catalysts: (a) different durations; (b) different temperatures; (c) different solvents. Reaction conditions: 1 mmol FAL, 100 mg catalyst, 10 mL isopropanol, 1 bar H₂, and 160 °C (panel (a)); 1 mmol FAL, 100 mg catalyst, 10 mL isopropanol, 1 bar H₂, and 6 h (panel (b)); 1 mmol FAL, 100 mg catalyst, 10 mL solvent, 1 bar H₂, 160 °C, and 6 h (panel (c)).

Fig.10 The hydrogenation of FAL over different Co₃O₄@NC catalysts: (a) different carbonization temperatures and (b) different nitrate decomposition temperatures of the Co₃O₄@NC catalysts. Reaction condition: 1 mmol FAL, 100 mg catalyst, 10 mL isopropanol, 1 bar H₂, 160 °C, and 6 h.

Fig.11 The heterogeneity of Co₃O₄@NC in the FAL hydrogenation reaction.

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