Cu/SiO2 synthesized with HKUST-1 as precursor: high ratio of Cu+/(Cu+ + Cu0) and rich oxygen defects for efficient catalytic hydrogenation of furfural to 2-methyl furan

Cu/SiO₂ is one of the most promising catalysts for the furfural (FF) hydrogenation reaction but suffers from the difficulty of tailoring the microstructure and surface properties. Herein, we developed a MOF-derived Cu/SiO₂ catalyst (Cu/SiO₂-MOF) for FF hydrogenation to 2-methyl furan (2-MF). In comparison with Cu/SiO₂ catalysts prepared from ammonia evaporation (Cu/SiO₂-AE) and traditional impregnation (Cu/SiO₂-TI), the copper species in Cu/SiO₂-MOF could not only be anchored on the silica surface via forming Cu-O-Si bonds but also exposed many more active sites. In this way, a higher ratio of Cu⁺/(Cu⁺ + Cu⁰) and richer oxygen defects were constructed via strong metal-support interactions, which were responsible for the superior catalytic performance. In addition, it was found that the solvent effect on product distribution played an important role in adjusting the selectivity to 2-MF and cyclopentanone (CPO). The present work not only provides a deep insight into the catalytic mechanism of Cu/SiO₂-MOF for the FF hydrogenation reaction but also sheds light on the design and synthesis of highly efficient catalysts for other heterogeneous catalysis fields.