Previous studies in the literature have established that strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) can result in the migration of reducible supporting metal oxide onto the supported noble metal particle surface and hence cause altered activity and selectivity in the whole catalytic material in some reactions. However, it was not feasible to clarify whether the supported metal particles covered by the support overlayer, visible under microscope, were solely responsible for the catalysis because they could not be readily separated from the support. For this purpose，Ni particles in 100-200 nm size physically mixed with anatase TiO2(TiO2-A) ZrO2, Al2O3, rutile TiO2(TiO2-R) and CeO2 were evaluated in hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of guaiacol. High selectivity to phenolics was achieved only for Ni mixed with anatase TiO2(Ni&TiO2-A), while saturated hydrocarbons were the main products for the Ni particles mixed with other supports. Because the large Ni particles and the TiO2-A can be separated by magnets, we separated Ni and TiO2-A from Ni&TiO2-A after treatment in hydrogen and evaluated for the reaction. The results showed that the large Ni particles covered by a TiO2overlayer from an anatase TiO2 support, after the large metallic Ni particles were mixed with a TiO2-A and subjected to H2 pretreatment, became totally inactive as a hydrogenation catalyst, while microscopically invisible Ni on the TiO2-A support, as a result of cross migration of Ni from the large Ni particles to the support, showed remarkably high activity in HDO of guaiacol, producing selectively phenolics.

Cross-surface migration of Ni and TiO2-A induces formation of Ni/anatase TiO2 catalyst for selective hydrodeoxygenation of guaiacol to phenolics

2019 Spring National Meeting

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