Highly dispersed Pt on N-doped TiO2 nanosheets for highly efficient selective hydrogenation of furfural

Highly efficient synthesis of valuable furfuryl alcohol by furfural hydrogenation is still a challenge for Pt-based catalysts under mild conditions. Herein, we report the synthesis of N-doped TiO 2 nanosheets (N–TiO 2 –ST) by a simple one-step hydrothermal method. Subsequently, platinum catalysts were loaded onto N-doped TiO 2 nanosheets using a simple impregnation method followed by reduction with sodium borohydride (NaBH 4 ). The resulting catalysts exhibited excellent catalytic performance in the hydrogenation of furfural. Especially, the turnover frequency (TOF) of Pt/N–TiO 2 –ST reached 694 h -1 , much higher than that of Pt/TiO 2 -ST (565 h -1 ). Furthermore, the structure and surface properties of as-prepared samples was characterized with the combination of XRD, Raman, N 2 adsorption-desorption, SEM, TEM, XPS, CO chemisorption and CO-FTIR. The excellent catalytic performance of Pt/N–TiO 2 –ST can be ascribed to higher surface area and surface defects (oxygen vacancies) on the N-TiO 2 nanosheets, which improves the diffusion of Pt species on the support surface and forms ultrafine Pt particles to expose more active sites (Pt 0 species) for selective adsorption and activation of C O groups of furfural. The results show that Pt/N–TiO 2 –ST is a viable and promising catalyst for furfural hydrogenation.