Deep eutectic solvents promote the formation of ultradispersed ZrO2 in cellulose-based carbon aerogel for the transfer hydrogenation of biomass aldehydes

Zr-carbon aerogel (Zr-DCCA) was prepared by using renewable deep eutectic solvents (DESs) and cellulose nanofiber as sacrifice templates. The Zr-DCCA shows high conversion, selectivity and stability for the transfer hydrogenation of various biomass aldehydes to alcohols. While lower catalytic performance was obtained using Zr-based carbon aerogel (Zr-CCA) prepared without DESs in precursors. A series of characterizations showed that Zr-DCCA possesses the higher dispersion and smaller size of ZrO 2 nanoparticles and thus shows stronger acid/base properties than Zr-CCA. In addition, traditional stirring for the reaction and centrifugation for recycling are not required, which simplifies equipment and operations, making the process more valuable to practice.