Ultrahigh Selective Hydrogenation of Furfural Enabled by Modularizing Hydrogen Dissociation and Substrate Activation

Designing optimal heterogeneous metal hydrogenation catalysts for biomass conversion with simultaneously high activity and selectivity is a significant but challenging topic. Herein, we report a modularized hydrogenation mode with hydrogen dissociation and substrate activation on different sites (e.g., Pt and Cu), where Pt nanoclusters are responsible for H 2 dissociation and Cu nanoparticles act as the active center for further substrate activation. Specifically, TS-1 zeolite@mesoporous silica with a core–shell structure was fabricated, in which the Pt and Cu species are confined within micropores and mesopores, respectively. Such configurations allow facile dissociation of H 2 on Pt sites, followed by the migration of spilled-over hydrogen atoms to the Cu sites where the adsorbed substrates are activated for catalytic hydrogenation. This synergy yields an efficient furfural hydrogenation system with a high turnover frequency (32.8 h –1 ) and a remarkable furfuryl alcohol selectivity (>99.6%). The modularizing strategy opens up an innovative pathway for fabrication of hydrogenation catalysts with outstanding activity and high selectivity.