Highly dispersed Ni on defective carbon with metal-support interaction for efficient and selective cinnamaldehyde hydrogenation

In this research, Ni/C catalysts were synthesized using in-situ thermally carbonization of MOF strategy and used for cinnamaldehyde (CAL) hydrogenation to produce hydrogen cinnamaldehyde (HCAL). The strong metal-support interaction (SMSI) between Ni and carbon favors the dispersion of Ni particles and tailors the surface electron state of Ni greatly, thus exhibiting extraordinary catalytic performance. The density functional theory (DFT) calculations and X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) reveal that the SMSI between Ni and carbon lowers the electron density and downshifts the d-band center of Ni. Moreover, in situ Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra shows that the reaction path for CAL hydrogenation is controlled effectively. The high distribution and the optimized d-band center of Ni lower the adsorption energy of reactants on the catalyst surface, which promotes the desorption of intermediates, leading to a high selectivity to HCAL. Particular, Ni/C-400 exhibits 93% selectivity to HCAL at the 100% conversion of CAL.