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

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 (SiO2, CeO2, TiO2). Ru/CeO2 and Ru/TiO2 with strong SMSI possess abundant electron‐deficient Ruδ+ species which exhibit a good ability to promote H2 dissociation and increase the isomerization rate of saturated aromatic compounds. Due to the enhanced adsorption of aromatic molecules, Ru/CeO2 (1.30 μmol·min‐1·g‐1) exhibits superior catalytic activity in comparison to Ru/TiO2 (1.25 μmol·min‐1·g‐1) during acenaphthene hydrosaturation, while Ru/TiO2 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 Ruδ+ species. The best catalytic activity with 96% selectivity of ccc‐perhydroacenaphthene was achieved on Ru/TiO2, and an isomerization mechanism of perhydroacenaphthene isomers was proposed.