Selective Deep Hydrogenation of Acenaphthene to High‐Density Fuel On Supported Ru Catalysts: The Role of Strong Metal‐Support Interaction

Abstract Developing high‐performance aviation fuel is highly desired for the rapid development of supersonic aircraft. Herein, selective deep hydrogenation of polycyclic aromatics to a high‐density fuel is developed over a Ru‐based catalyst. The influences of strong Ru‐support interaction on tailoring the reaction pathways of acenaphthene hydrogenation were investigated using different oxide supports (SiO 2 , CeO 2 , TiO 2 ). Ru/CeO 2 and Ru/TiO 2 with strong SMSI possess abundant electron‐deficient Ru δ+ species which exhibit a good ability to promote H 2 dissociation and increase the isomerization rate of saturated aromatic compounds. Due to the enhanced adsorption of aromatic molecules, Ru/CeO 2 (1.30 μmol min −1 g −1 ) exhibits superior catalytic activity in comparison to Ru/TiO 2 (1.25 μmol min −1 g −1 ) during acenaphthene hydrosaturation, while Ru/TiO 2 exhibits the highest isomerization reaction rate (7.60×10 −2 μmol min −1 g −1 ) because of its excellent hydrogen spillover ability and high content of Ru δ+ species. The best catalytic activity with 96 % selectivity of ccc ‐perhydroacenaphthene was achieved on Ru/TiO 2 , and an isomerization mechanism of perhydroacenaphthene isomers was proposed.