Metal-acid interface encapsulated in hybrid mesoporous silica for selective hydrogenation of phenol to cyclohexanone

The traditional multi-functional catalytic system is to physically mix each catalyst to meet the multi-step reaction process, so the multi-point synergy is insufficient. Here, we obtained the hybrid mesoporous silica shell by aluminum doping and coated it on Pt particles, showing a synergistic mode between different sites. This strategy realized the shortest geometric contact distance between metal and acid, formed a stable metal-acid interface and enhanced the catalytic efficiency. In the hydrogenation of phenol, Pt@Al-mSiO 2 bifunctional catalyst showed 96% selectivity for cyclohexanone. Hybrid silica stabilized the metal-acid interface and showed good stability in application, which was better than general supported catalysts.