In Situ Hybridizing Cu3(BTC)2 and Titania to Attain a High-Performance Copper Catalyst: Dual-Functional Role of Metal-Support Interaction on the Activity and Selectivity

Graphical Cu catalyzed hydrogenation : An in situ hybridization of metal organic framework Cu 3 (BTC) 2 and titania route is constructed to acquire a highly dispersed and robust CuO#TiO 2 catalyst, which enables a superior high activity (∼20.8 mol FUR /mol Cu h) with sound furfural alcohol yield (>99 %) toward furfural hydrogenation. Production of value-added chemicals sourced from biomass platform molecules has tremendous significance for sustainable chemical engineering. Herein, we reported a successful fabrication of a highly dispersed copper nanoparticles catalyst, CuO#TiO 2 , via a facile route of in situ homogeneously hybridizing the metal organic framework Cu 3 (BTC) 2 with titania, and subsequent calcination. Distinctly from the copper catalysts prepared by the conventional routes (impregnation or co-precipitation), this novel CuO#TiO 2 catalyst has a small particle size (∼5 nm), easy-reducible copper species, and weakened Lewis's acidity. As a result, it shows superior high activity (∼20.8 mol FUR /mol Cu ⋅ h) as well as high furfural alcohol yield (>99 %) at 140 °C and 2 MPa for furfural hydrogenation. Moreover, the CuO#TiO 2 can be conveniently regenerated by calcination at 200 °C in the air, with no appreciable changes in its structure or activity, a test that we repeated 8 times. Through comprehensive structure characterizations, it has revealed a significant interaction between the CuO and TiO 2 originated from the in situ hybridization, which enables a bi-functional effect on the resulted CuO#TiO 2 catalyst: one is to generate more copper active sites by promoting the copper dispersion and reducibility; the other is to hinder the side reactions by decrease the support Lewis acidity. This work demonstrates a practical strategy to rationally design a highly efficient catalytic system in furfural hydrogenation catalysis.