Regulating Surface‐Interface Structures of Zn‐Incorporated LiAl‐LDH Supported Ru Catalysts for Efficient Benzene Hydrogenation to Produce Cyclohexene

Abstract In the heterogeneous catalysis, adsorption and desorption behaviors of reactants and products on the surface of catalysts can remarkably impact their catalytic activities and product selectivities. Here, series of Ru‐based catalysts supported on Zn‐incorporated Li−Al layered double hydroxides (Ru/LDH) were developed and employed in the selective benzene hydrogenation to produce cyclohexene without the use of any additional zinc salt additives. It was demonstrated that as‐constructed supported Ru catalyst bearing a Zn/(Li+Zn) molar ratio of 0.075 in the LDH support gave a higher cyclohexene yield of 43.2 % than those over other Ru‐based ones. Combining structural characterizations and catalytic hydrogenation reactions with temperature‐programmed desorption and in situ Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy of benzene and cyclohexene, it was revealed that the generation of appropriate surficial/interfacial Ru 0 /Ru δ+ −O−Zn structures, as well as the existence of abundant hydroxyl groups on LDH supports, could facilitate the benzene adsorption and the cyclohexene desorption, thereby remarkably promoting the formation of cyclohexene. The present findings not only give a profound insight into the roles of surface‐interface structures of supported Ru catalysts for efficient benzene hydrogenation to produce cyclohexene but also simultaneously provide a promising guide to design high‐performance Ru‐based catalysts.