Bimetallic phosphides constitute a promising class of materials for biomass valorization, yet these materials are highly understudied as catalysts and require further analysis to realize their properties and resulting applications.[1] In this presentation, we will discuss the synthesis, characterization, and catalytic performance of solid solutions of molybdenum based bimetallic phosphides (MMoP, M = Fe, Co, Ni, Ru) for hydrodeoxygenation and hydrogenation reactions. We have focused our efforts on the synthesis of catalysts with tunable and/or controllable chemical, structural, and surface properties to generate new materials to effectively and efficiently upgrade various renewable and petroleum-based feedstocks to liquid fuels and chemicals.[1-5] We have found that Fe-containing phosphide catalysts are highly selective for C-O bond cleavage reactions based on the unique properties of the material.[2-4] The combined bulk and surface characterization of FeMoP catalysts coupled with reaction studies of lignin model compounds allowed us to correlate the structural features of this bimetallic phosphide to the activity and selectivity in order to determine how synthesis conditions affected the overall catalytic performance. More recently, we have developed periodic trends for various bimetallic phosphides and discovered that the aromatic selectivity and degree of Mo oxidation both decreased in the following order FeMoP &gt;&gt; CoMoP &gt; NiMoP.[5] These results highlight the versatility and wide applicability of transition metal phosphides for biomass conversions.

Catalytic properties of molybdenum-based bimetallic phosphides for deoxygenation reactions

255th National Meeting (2018)

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