Tightly Coupled FeNi Alloy/NiO Interface Derived from an LDH Precursor Promotes Deep Hydrodeoxygenation of p -Cresol

Abstract Hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of lignin derivatives is a promising strategy for biomass utilization, but its catalytic performance is often unsatisfactory for non-noble metal catalysts. This hinders the industrialization process of biomass utilization. Herein, we obtained a FeNi-Cop catalyst with a tightly coupled interface between FeNi alloy and NiO by a hydrotalcite-derived strategy. The effect of this interface on the p-cresol HDO was studied by XRD, HRTEM, H2-TPR, NH3-TPD, XPS, in situ FTIR, and DFT calculations. FeNi-Cop catalyst facilitates hydrogen activation and can promote the dehydration reaction of methylcyclohexanol, a key intermediate, through the electronic regulation of the interface and acid sites. High space-time yield (STY) of methylcyclohexane was obtained, and good catalytic performance could be maintained after 10 cycles. This tightly coupled alloy/oxide interface provides a feasible approach for the design of non-noble metal catalysts.