Construction of N, O co-doped carbon anchored with Co nanoparticles as efficient catalyst for furfural hydrodeoxygenation in ethanol

Hydrodeoxygenation of furfural (FF) into 2-methylfuran (MF) is a significant biomass utilization route. However, designing efficient and stable non-noble metal catalyst is still a huge challenge. Herein, we reported the N, O co-doped carbon anchored with Co nanoparticles (Co-SFB) synthesized by employing the organic ligands with the target heteroatoms. Raman, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) characterizations showed that the co-doping of N and O heteroatoms in the carbon support endows Co-SFB with enriched lone pair electrons, fast electron transfer ability, and strong metal-support interaction. These electronic properties resulted in strong FF adsorption as well as lower apparent reaction activation energy. At last, the obtained N, O co-doped Co/C catalyst showed excellent catalytic activity (nearly 100 mol% FF conversion and 94.6 mol% MF yield) and stability for in-situ dehydrogenation of FF into MF. This N, O co-doping strategy for the synthesis of highly efficient catalytic materials with controllable electronic state will provide an excellent opportunity to better understand the structure–function relationship.