Preparation of mesoporous oxides and their support effects on Pt nanoparticle catalysts in catalytic hydrogenation of furfural

[Display omitted] ► Mesoporous SiO2, Al2O3, TiO2, Nb2O5, and Ta2O5 were synthesized through a soft-templating approach as supports of catalysts. ► The Pt nanoparticles supported on mesoporous oxides were evaluated in the hydrogenation reaction of furfural. ► The supported 1.9nm Pt nanopaticles produced dominantly furan as a major product on furfural hydrogenation. ► A TiO2 support facilitated an increase in the production of furfuryl alcohol via carbonyl group hydrogenation. Mesoporous SiO2, Al2O3, TiO2, Nb2O5, and Ta2O5 were synthesized through a soft-templating approach by a self-assembled framework of Pluronic P123 and utilized for the preparation of 3-dimensional catalysts as supports. Colloidal Pt nanoparticles with an average diameter of 1.9nm were incorporated into the mesoporous oxides by sonication-induced capillary inclusion. The Pt nanoparticles supported on mesoporous oxides were evaluated in the hydrogenation reaction of furfural (70torr furfural and 700torr H2 with a balance of He) to study the effect of catalyst supports on selectivity. In the temperature ranges of 170–240°C, the major products of this reaction were furan, furfuryl alcohol, and 2-methyl furan through a main reaction pathway of either decarbonylation or carbonyl group hydrogenation. While Pt nanoparticles with the size ranges of 1.5–7.1 exhibited strong structure-dependent selectivity, various supports loaded with only 1.9nm Pt nanoparticles produced dominantly furan as a major product. Compared to the inert silica support, TiO2 and Nb2O5 facilitated an increase in the production of furfuryl alcohol via carbonyl group hydrogenation as a result of a charge transfer interaction between the Pt and the acidic surface of the oxides. The same trend was confirmed on 2-dimensional type catalysts, in which thin films of SiO2, Al2O3, TiO2, Nb2O5, and ZrO2 were prepared as supports. When furfural hydrogenation was conducted (1torr furfural, 100torr H2, and 659torr He) over Pt nanoparticle monolayers deposited on oxide substrates, only TiO2 was shown to increase the production of furfuryl alcohol, while other oxides produced furan.