Studies of synergy between metal–support interfaces and selective hydrogenation of HMF to DMF in water

• Highly dispersive Ni nanoclusters have been prepared on MCNx material.
• Stabilization of Ni in the zero state was observed due to strong interfacial interaction with MCNx.
• The newly prepared material shows ⩾99% conversion of HMF with 100% DMF selectivity.
• Water is used as reaction media, which makes the process truly environmentally benign.
• Computational analysis demonstrates the reaction mechanism.

Metal–support interfaces play a very important role in heterogeneous catalysis. The interfacial interactions not only are responsible for stabilizing the necessary oxidation state to facilitate the reaction but also enhance the stability of the catalyst system. Nano dispersion of Ni on mesoporous nitrogen-rich carbon material has been achieved using two different synthesis methods. It was observed that nickel (0) gets stabilized by strong interfacial interaction with the nitrogen atoms of the support material, and the material was found to be very economic and efficient for the conversion of HMF to DMF in aqueous medium. The material shows ⩾99% conversion to 5-(hydroxymethyl) furfural (HMF) within 6 h of reaction with 98.7% DMF selectivity. A unique correlation between synthesis methods and particle sizes with catalytic performance has been observed for these newly developed materials. Furthermore, a DFT calculation has been performed to predict the reaction mechanism.

Figure optionsDownload high-quality image (63 K)Download as PowerPoint slide