A gradient reduction strategy to produce defects-rich nano-twin Cu particles for targeting activation of carbon-carbon or carbon-oxygen in furfural conversion

Complexity of chemical linkages (C-C/C-H/C-O, C=C/C=O, or C-O-H/C-O-C) in biomass-derived molecules makes the selective activation of targeted bonds much more challenging, expecting well-defined catalysts and definite catalytically-active sites. This work demonstrates an effective gradient reduction strategy to control the definite structure of catalytically-active sites, affording defects-rich nano-twin Cu particles. This strategy just involves the reduction (calcination under H 2 ) of Cu II -containing layered double hydroxides (LDHs) simply with controlling the reduction gradient (interval time) of Cu II species in two chemical micro-environments (Cu II -O-Cu II and Cu II -O-M II/III/IV (M ≠ Cu)) in the brucite-like layer of LDHs. The nano-twin Cu particles efficiently promote the target activation of C-O and C=C in the conversion of furfural to cyclopentanone (CPO). With ~100% furfural conversion, the defects-rich nano-twin Cu particles afford a CPO selectivity of 92%, 50% higher than regular spherical Cu particles. The multi-stepped defect sites, originating from the planar defects, play a decisive role in promoting the CPO selectivity by facilitating the hydro-deoxygenation to C-O of 4-hydroxycyclopentenone (HCP) and hydrogenation to C=C of HCP or cyclopentenone.