Synergetic catalysis of Pt/WN-TiO2 nanocomposites for selective hydrogenation of furfural to valuable furfuryl alcohol

Herein, WN-TiO2 with evenly distributed WN nanoparticles (NPs) were facilely synthesized thru one pot evaporation-induced self-assembly (EISA) and nitridation treatment method, as an active host material for precious Pt NPs. A number of characterization techniques were executed to explore the influence of the synthetic approach upon the surface and catalytic properties of the as-synthesized 2wt%Pt/TiO2 and 2wt%Pt/WN-TiO2 catalysts. As compared to 2wt%Pt/TiO2, the 2wt%Pt/WN-TiO2 catalyst exhibited outstanding performance in the selective hydrogenation reaction of Furfural (FAL) to Furfuryl alcohols (FOL) (conversion (97.8%) and selectivity (98.6%)). The 2wt%Pt/WN-TiO2 catalyst also exhibited an impressive recyclability performance for up to five recycles without significant deactivation in activity and selectivity. The superior catalytic hydrogenation performance can be ascribed to the specific nanostructure characteristics of the catalyst arose from the possible synergistic effect occurred between Pt and WN species of 2wt%Pt/WN-TiO2. Besides, the improved homogeneous dispersion of precious Pt NPs causes more exposed active sites of Pt0 species on the surface of 2wt%Pt/WN-TiO2, which is very beneficial for the improved hydrogenation of FAL to FOL.