Highly selective hydrogenation of furfural to tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol over MIL-101(Cr)-NH2 supported Pd catalyst at low temperature

Article abstract of DOI:10.1016/S1872-2067(18)63009-8

An efficient heterogeneous catalyst, Pd@MIL-101(Cr)-NH₂, is prepared through a direct pathway of anionic exchange followed by hydrogen reduction with amino-containing MIL-101 as the host matrix. The composite is thermally stable up to 350 °C and the Pd nanoparticles uniformly disperse on the matal organic framework (MOF) support, which are attributed to the presence of the amino groups in the frameworks of MIL-101(Cr)-NH₂. The selective hydrogenation of biomass-based furfural to tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol is investigated by using this multifunctional catalyst Pd@MIL-101(Cr)-NH₂ in water media. A complete hydrogenation of furfural is achieved at a low temperature of 40 °C with the selectivity of tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol close to 100%. The amine-functionalized MOF improves the hydrogen bonding interactions between the intermediate furfuryl alcohol and the support, which is conducive for the further hydrogenation of furfuryl alcohol to tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol in good coordination with the metal sites.

Full text of DOI:10.1016/S1872-2067(18)63009-8

Chinese Journal of Catalysis 39 (2018) 319–326
a v a i l a b l e a t w w w . s c i e n c e d i r e c t . c o m
j o u r n a l h o m e p a g e : w w w . e l s e v i e r . c o m / l o c a t e / c h n j c
Article
Highly selective hydrogenation of furfural to tetrahydrofurfuryl
alcohol over MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 supported Pd catalyst at low
temperature
Dongdong Yin a,†, Hangxing Ren b,†, Chuang Li a, Jinxuan Liu c,#, Changhai Liang a,*
a Laboratory of Advanced Materials and Catalytic Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, Liaoning, China
b Purification Equipment Research Institute of CSIC, Handan 056027, Hebei, China
c State Key Laboratory of Fine Chemicals, Institute of Artificial Photosynthesis, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian 116024, Liaoning, China
A R T I C L E I N F O
A B S T R A C T
Article history:
An efficient heterogeneous catalyst, Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2, is prepared through a direct pathway of
anionic exchange followed by hydrogen reduction with amino‐containing MIL‐101 as the host ma‐
trix. The composite is thermally stable up to 350 °C and the Pd nanoparticles uniformly disperse on
the matal organic framework (MOF) support, which are attributed to the presence of the amino
groups in the frameworks of MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2. The selective hydrogenation of biomass‐based fur‐
fural to tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol is investigated by using this multifunctional catalyst
Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 in water media. A complete hydrogenation of furfural is achieved at a low
temperature of 40 °C with the selectivity of tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol close to 100%. The
amine‐functionalized MOF improves the hydrogen bonding interactions between the intermediate
furfuryl alcohol and the support, which is conducive for the further hydrogenation of furfuryl alco‐
hol to tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol in good coordination with the metal sites.
Received 10 November 2017
Accepted 26 December 2017
Published 5 February 2018
Keywords:
Metal‐organic frameworks
Amino functionalization
Pd nanoparticle
Biomass
Selective hydrogenation
© 2018, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences.
Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
1. Introduction
stock for the sustainable production of biofuels and val‐
ue‐added chemicals [3–6]. The catalytic hydrogenation of fur‐
Recently, research efforts have been devoted to the produc‐
tion of biofuels and biomass‐derived chemicals from nonedible
lignocellulosic biomass owing to the increasing awareness of
energy exhaustion and environmental concerns [1,2]. Furfural
(FUR), which is mainly produced from the acidic hydrolysis of
hemicellulose and accounts for 25%–35% of the lignocellulosic
biomass, has been selected as one of the top 30 bio‐
mass‐derived platform chemicals and employed as the feed‐
fural has been extensively investigated, which can be trans‐
formed to furfural alcohol (FA) and tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol
(THFA) [7–10]. Hydrogenolysis may also occur during the hy‐
drogenation process which can produce 2‐methylfuran,
2‐methyltetrahydrofuran, cyclopentanone, cyclopentanol and
polyols, such as 1,5‐pentanediol and 1,2‐pentanediol [11–14].
THFA is widely used as green solvent, for the synthesis of
special chemicals, such as dihydropyran, and has also been
* Corresponding author. Tel/Fax: +86‐411‐84986353; E‐mail: changhai@dlut.edu.cn
# Corresponding author. Tel: +86‐411‐84986487; Fax: +86‐411‐84986245; E‐mail: jinxuan.liu@dlut.edu.cn
† These authors contribute equally to this work.
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (21573031, 21673032), Program for Excellent Talents in Dalian City
(2016RD09), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (DUT17LK21), the State Key Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Solid
Surfaces, Xiamen University (201507).
DOI: 10.1016/S1872‐2067(18)63009‐8 | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/18722067 | Chin. J. Catal., Vol. 39, No. 2, February 2018

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Dongdong Yin et al. / Chinese Journal of Catalysis 39 (2018) 319–326
proposed for use as a biofuel or as a fuel additive because of its
similar properties to kerosene [4,15]. THFA is usually produced
by the hydrogenation of FA derived from FUR, and it can be
obtained by the direct hydrogenation of furfural in the pres‐
ence of noble or non‐noble metals [16–19]. The production of
THFA from furfural has been investigated extensively. Biradar
et al. [9] reported an effective complete hydrogenation of fur‐
fural using a 3% Pd/MFI catalyst and achieved the highest
conversion and THFA selectivity in the range of 93%−100%
and 67%−95%, respectively, under optimized conditions of
220 °C and 3.5 MPa. Nakagawa et al. [18] prepared a Ni/SiO2
catalyst with Ni particle size <4 nm and achieved a maximum
THFA yield of 94% for the gas‐phase hydrogenation of furfural.
They found that the conversion of FA intermediate to THFA
was strongly structure sensitive and the turnover frequency
(TOF) decreased with increasing metal particle size. The same
group also obtained a 94% yield of THFA catalyzed by a large
amount of Pd−Ir/SiO2 (Pd/Ir = 1) bimetallic catalysts in the
liquid‐phase process and suggested that a high hydrogen pres‐
sure (8 MPa) and low reaction temperature (2 °C) were useful
to suppress side reactions [20]. However, harsh conditions,
such as high hydrogen pressure and high reaction temperature,
are usually required for the conversion of FUR to THFA. The
design of novel and environmentally‐friendly catalysts that can
achieve a high THFA selectivity under mild conditions in a
green process is of great importance.
Metal organic frameworks (MOFs), which have emerged as a
new class of porous materials with diverse properties such as
high surface area, permanent porosity and easy functionaliza‐
tion by post‐synthetic modification or direct synthesis, have
been widely studied and applied in catalysis, in particular, bio‐
mass catalysis [21–24]. For example, Zeolitic imidazolate
frameworks (ZIFs) were used for the transformation of sugars
to lactic acid derivatives with a high conversion and yield [25].
A MOF‐based polyoxometalate [Cu‐BTC][HPM] showed good
catalytic activity in the conversion of 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural
(5‐HMF) [26]. The metal nanoparticles supported on Zr‐MOFs
were proven to be highly efficient catalysts for biomass refining
[27,28]. MIL‐101, one of the most stable MOF structures, pos‐
sesses a high surface area, large porosity, numerous coordina‐
tively unsaturated metal sites and can be subjected to diverse
functionalization or guest species encapsulation, and it has
been widely used for biomass catalysis [29–32]. The sul‐
fonic‐acid‐functionalized MIL‐101(Cr) [MIL‐101(Cr)‐SO3H] was
investigated as a solid acid for the catalytic conversion of glu‐
cose to 5‐HMF [33]. Noble metal nanoparticles, such as those
containing Pd or Ru, incorporated within MIL‐101 or organ‐
ic‐functionalized (–SO3H, –NH2) MIL‐101 exhibited a high activ‐
ity and selectivity in the hydrodeoxygenation or selective hy‐
drogenation of biomass compounds [31,34,35]. It has been
demonstrated that the presence of free amine groups in the
amine‐functionalized MIL‐101(Cr) [MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2], which
exhibits excellent stability to moisture and acid compared with
Fe‐, Al‐ and V‐MIL‐101. The palladium nanoparticles were
loaded into the MOF matrix through a direct anionic exchange
approach followed by hydrogen reduction [38,39]. The result‐
ing Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 was found to be an efficient multi‐
functional catalyst for the aqueous selective hydrogenation of
FUR to THFA with a selectivity of nearly 100% under mild con‐
ditions.
2. Experimental
2.1. Catalyst preparation
2.1.1. Preparation of MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2
Amine‐functionalized MIL‐101(Cr) was hydrothermally
synthesized by the direct reaction of Cr(III) and
2‐aminoterephthalic acid with assistance from hydroxide based
on the previous literature with a slight modification [38]. To be
specific, 2‐aminoterephthalic acid (0.18 g, 1 mmol) and sodium
hydroxide (0.1 g, 2.5 mmol) were dissolved in de‐ionized water
(7.5 mL) by ultrasonication, where the OH− ions could promote
the dissolution of organic acid. Then, chromic nitrate hydrate
(0.4 g, 1 mmol) was dispersed into the former clear aqueous
solution. After ultrasonication for 5 min, the suspension was
transferred to a Teflon‐lined autoclave and heated at 150 °C for
18 h in a convection oven. After cooling to room temperature
naturally, the resulting green precipitate was collected by cen‐
trifugation and washed sequentially with de‐ionized water,
DMF and ethanol several times to remove the excess reagents.
The sample was then soaked in hot ethanol with continued
heating and stirring at 100 °C for 24 h for further purification,
after which the product was dried at 100 °C under vacuum for
12 h.
2.1.2. Preparation of Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2
Pd nanoparticles were successfully immobilized to
MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 by a direct anionic exchange and subsequent
H2 reduction. Taking the synthesis of 3.0 wt%
Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2
as
an
example,
activated
MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 (0.5 g) was first dispersed in deionized water
(30 mL) by ultrasonication and treated with a suitable amount
of diluted HCl to adjust the pH to approximately 4. Then a solu‐
tion of H2PdCl4 (containing ca. 3.0 wt% of Pd) was added
dropwise to the above slurry under vigorous stirring, and the
mixture was further stirred for another 24 h. The solid was
separated by centrifugation, repeatedly washed with deionized
water, followed by drying at 100 °C under vacuum for 12 h. The
+
resulting [MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH3 ]2[PdCl4]2− sample was reduced in
a H2/Ar (H2/Ar = 20/40 mL min–1) flow at 200 °C for 4 h to
yield Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2. The synthetic procedure is shown
in Fig. S1.
MOF plays
a key role on the formation of uniform,
well‐dispersed and leaching resistant metal nanoparticles
within the MOF host. In addition, the nitrogen‐containing sup‐
port may have an effect on the selectivity towards the target
products in hydrogenation reactions [36,37].
2.1.3. Preparation of Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)
MIL‐101(Cr) was synthesized according to our previous re‐
port [40], then an impregnation procedure similar to the
above‐described was adopted for the incorporation of Pd
Herein, we reported the direct synthesis of

Dongdong Yin et al. / Chinese Journal of Catalysis 39 (2018) 319–326
321
within MIL‐101(Cr) except with an adjusting of the pH.
for the Pd nanoparticles [38]. It should be noted that the dif‐
fraction peaks derived from Pd NPs were barely observed in
the wide‐angle XRD patterns (Fig. S3) until the Pd content
reached 5.4 wt%, which arose from the low Pd loading [41].
The thermal stability of MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 and
Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 were examined and are shown in Fig. S4.
TG analysis showed that both MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 and
Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 were stable up to 350 °C. The weight
losses under 140 °C were ascribed to desorption of the adsorp‐
tive and coordinated water molecules and other residuals re‐
mained in the MOF cavities [29].
Fig. 1 presents the N2 adsorption–desorption property of
the synthesized MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 materials. The bare
MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 exhibited a BET surface area of 1669 m2 g–1
and a total pore volume of 1.35 cm3 g–1, which was in agree‐
ment with the data reported previously [42]. The sharp uptake
under low pressure (P/P0 = 10–6 to 0.1) and the pore size dis‐
tribution centered at 1.4 and 1.8 nm demonstrated the mi‐
croporous feature of the materials. The increased N2 uptake
near P/P0 = 1.0 arose from the textural pores created by nano‐
particle aggregation [43]. After Pd loading, an obvious decrease
of the micropore area and pore volume were observed (Table
S1), which was attributed to the occupation or blocking of cavi‐
ties by the deposited Pd nanoparticles or the partial collapse of
the framework.
2.2. Catalyst characterization
The powder X‐ray diffraction (XRD) patterns of the samples
were recorded on a D/MAX‐2400 diffractometer with Cu K
radiation ( = 1.5418 Å) at 40 kV and 100 mA. The Pd contents
in MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 were quantitatively determined by induc‐
tively coupled plasma‐atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP‐AES)
using a Perkin‐Elmer Optima 2000 DV. Thermogravimetric
(TG) experiments were performed on a Mettler Toledo
TGA/SDTA851e thermogravimetric analyzer with a heating
procedure from 25 to 800 °C at a rate of 10 °C min–1 under a
nitrogen atmosphere. The nitrogen adsorption–desorption
isotherms were performed at −196 °C on a Quantachrome Au‐
tosorb‐IQ apparatus. The samples were degassed under vacu‐
um at 150 °C for 10 h before the adsorption measurements.
Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy (FT‐IR) characteriza‐
tion was performed on a Thermo fisher Nicolet 6700 spec‐
trometer with a resolution of 0.09 cm–1 at room temperature.
The particle size distributions of the catalysts were analyzed by
transmission electron microscopy (TEM) measurement using a
JEM‐2000EX instrument at 120 kV. Powder samples were ul‐
trasonicated in ethanol and dispersed on TEM copper grids.
2.3. Catalytic performance
The MIL‐101 samples were further characterized by TEM as
shown in Fig. 2. Pd NPs were uniformly dispersed on
MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 for the 3.0 wt% Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 sam‐
ple with an average particle size of 3.5 nm (Fig. 2(a)). However,
an excessive Pd loading (5.4 wt%) resulted in the formation of
much larger nanoparticles with an average size of 4.4 nm (Fig.
2(b)). For the purpose of comparison, MIL‐101(Cr) was used to
load Pd NPs (2.7 wt%) as shown in Fig. 2(d). A wide range of
particle size distribution and larger particles were observed
owing to the agglomeration of Pd NPs, which inferred that the
presence of amine groups within the frameworks arose from
the strengthened adsorption force between NH2 groups and Pd
precursors, which led to the formation of uniform and
well‐dispersed Pd nanoparticles within the frameworks
[44,45].
The selective hydrogenation of FUR was carried out in a 50
mL stainless steel autoclave equipped with a magnetic stirrer
and an electrical heating jacket. The catalysts were reduced
once again by H2/Ar (H2/Ar = 20/40 mL min–1) at 200 °C for 2
h, and passivated under Ar overnight before use. In a typical
run, catalyst (0.05 g), FUR (2.1 mmol), and water (20 mL) as a
green solvent were added into the autoclave and purged with
H2 three times at room temperature. The autoclave was heated
to 40 °C and then pressurized with H2 to 2 MPa. After the reac‐
tion, the autoclave was cooled naturally, and the liquid prod‐
ucts were separated by centrifugation, analyzed by gas chro‐
matography (GC‐7890F, FID, FFAP column 30 m × 0.32 mm ×
0.5 μm) and identified by gas chromatography‐mass spectrom‐
etry (Agilent 7890B‐5977A GC/MSD). The quantitative analysis
was performed by an internal standard method with propylene
glycol added to the solution after the reaction as the internal
standard.
MIL-101(Cr)-NH
1600
1200
800
400
0
2
1.3 wt% Pd@MIL-101(Cr)-NH
2
2
2
3.0 wt% Pd@MIL-101(Cr)-NH
5.4 wt% Pd@MIL-101(Cr)-NH
3.0 wt% Pd@MIL-101(Cr)-NH after reaction
2
3. Results and discussion
3.1. Characterization of MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 and
Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2
0
2
4
6
8
25 30 35
D (nm)
The
XRD
patterns
of
MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2
and
Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 with various Pd loadings are shown in
Fig. S2. The as‐synthesized MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 exhibited a typical
diffraction pattern of MIL‐101(Cr), which indicated a successful
formation of the MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 crystalline structure. After
Pd loading, no obvious structural changes were observed,
which suggested a robust MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 structure as a host
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
P/P0
Fig. 1. N2 adsorption‐desorption isotherms with pore distributions of
the MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 samples.

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Dongdong Yin et al. / Chinese Journal of Catalysis 39 (2018) 319–326
(a)
100
80
60
40
20
0
Conversion of FUR
Selectivity of THFA
Selectivity of FA
Selectivity of MTHF
Selectivity of CPONE
1
2
3
4
5
6
Time (h)
(b)
100
80
60
40
20
0
Fig. 2. TEM images and particle size distribution of 3.0 wt%
Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 (a), 5.4 wt% Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 (b), 3.0 wt%
Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 after reaction (c) and 2.7 wt% Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)
(d).
Conversion of FA
Selectivity of THFA
The characterization of MIL‐101(Cr) samples with IR spec‐
troscopy are presented in Fig. S5. Compared with the unmodi‐
fied MIL‐101 (Cr), the two bands that appeared at 3490 and
3380 cm–1 for MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 were ascribed to the N–H bond
stretching vibration of the aromatic primary amine in the crys‐
tal skeleton. The observed band at 1624 cm–1 was associated
with the bending vibration of N–H groups, and the bands at
1340 and 1256 cm–1 were assigned to the stretching vibration
of C–N bonds within aromatic amines [46].
1
2
3
4
5
6
Time (h)
Fig. 3. Variations of substrate conversion and product selectivity for
FUR/FA hydrogenation over Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 (Pd 3.0 wt%). Reac‐
tion conditions: FUR/FA 2.1 mmol, water 20 mL, catalyst 0.05 g, 40 °C, 2
MPa H2.
Pd/SiO2 [20], our Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 catalyst could obtain
highly monodispersed Pd nanoparticles owing to the existence
of amine groups on the framework and the abundant
pore‐structure of MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2. The smaller Pd nanoparti‐
cles could promote the production of THFA with high yield
under mild conditions and prevent the side reactions, which
require harsh reaction conditions.
3.2. Catalytic performance
The catalytic performance of the as‐prepared Pd@MOF ma‐
terials was evaluated for the catalytic selective hydrogenation
of biomass‐based FUR in aqueous media. The C=O group of FUR
was more easily hydrogenated to form FA, owing to the lower
bond energy than the C=C in the furan ring. Further hydrogena‐
tion of FA would facilitate the production of THFA. Fig. 3(a)
shows the evolution of the reactants conversion and the prod‐
ucts selectivity for the hydrogenation of FUR as a function of
reaction time over the 3.0 wt% Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 catalyst.
Nearly 100% conversion of FUR was achieved in the first 2
h, and the selectivity of THFA was up to 53%, which was ac‐
companied by FA as an intermediate product. A full transfor‐
mation of FA to THFA could be realized by prolonging the reac‐
tion time to 6 h. In addition, the FA could be fully converted to
THFA within 2 h when the same amount of FA as the reactants
was added into the reaction system. No further hydrogenolysis
formed were produced with an extended reaction time (Fig.
3(b)). The above results suggested that THFA could be gener‐
ated with high selectivity from FUR or FA under the current
catalytic system. Comparing the Pd catalysts with other sup‐
ports in the literature, such as Pd/MFI [9], Pd/Al2O3 [47] and
100
80
60
40
20
0
Conversion of FUR
Selectivity of FA
Selectivity of THFA
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
Pressure (MPa)
Fig. 4. Influence of H2 pressure on the selective hydrogenation of FUR;
Reaction conditions: FUR 2.1 mmol, water 20 mL, catalyst (Pd 3.0 wt%)
0.05 g, 40 °C, 4 h.

Dongdong Yin et al. / Chinese Journal of Catalysis 39 (2018) 319–326
323
The effect of H2 pressure on the hydrogenation of furfural is
shown in Fig. 4. It can be clearly seen that with the increase of
H2 pressure from 0.5 to 1 MPa, the hydrogenation rate for FUR
to FA was significantly increased. FUR was fully converted at
1.0 MPa and the selectivity to THFA reached 67.8% simultane‐
ously under the investigated conditions. The intermediate FA
reached a maximum selectivity at 0.5 MPa and was hydrogen‐
ated to THFA when the pressure was gradually raised to 3 MPa.
However, the generation rate of THFA showed a slow im‐
provement with the increased H2 pressure, which indicated
that the pressure had no dramatic effect on THFA generation
under the current catalytic reaction system.
The temperature dependence of the product distribution
was investigated from 30 to 100 °C (Fig. 5(a)) with 100% con‐
version of FUR. A complete hydrogenation saturation of FUR to
THFA could be achieved when the temperature was increased
to 40 °C. The selectivity of THFA decreased when the reaction
temperature was increased gradually. Cyclopentanone
(CPONE), which originated from the hydrogenation rear‐
rangement of FUR and FA in water media, was generated and
became the main product at 100 °C. At the same time, a small
amount of 2‐methyltetrahydrofuran and 5‐hydroxy‐
2‐pentanone as well as other unidentified substances were
found in the products. The results suggested that temperature
had a significant effect on the product distribution for the hy‐
drogenation of FUR. A high reaction temperature would pro‐
mote the rearrangement reaction to form CPONE, which hin‐
dered the transformation of FA to THFA (Fig. 5(b)) [14,48].
However, we were unable to obtain more CPONE by further
increasing the temperature owing to the aggravated polymeri‐
zation of FUR and FA under the corresponding catalytic condi‐
tions [49]. The target product THFA could be obtained with
high selectivity under a mild temperature of 40 °C over the
Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2.
The higher activity and selectivity of Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2
compared with the other catalysts in the literatures [8,17,19]
were mainly attributed to the existence of highly dispersed
small Pd nanoparticles on MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2, which was more
beneficial for the excitation of reactants. Meanwhile, there were
strong host‐guest interactions between the framework and
metal nanoparticles through coordination and π‐π forces,
which could also enhance the catalytic activity [50,51].
Table 1 lists the reaction results over Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2
with different Pd contents and Pd@MIL‐101(Cr) at 40 °C and
H2 pressure of 2 MPa. No products were detected at the corre‐
sponding reaction time when MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 was used as
catalyst. However, THFA could be obtained as a final product
with a selectivity >99.9% through the direct hydrogenation of
FUR when using Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 with a Pd content of 3.0
wt%. A higher Pd content of 5.4 wt% had no effect on FUR hy‐
drogenation but only slightly reduced the completion time of
the reaction, which could be attributed to the greater number
of active Pd sites. For comparison, the Pd@MIL‐101(Cr) cata‐
lyst, which was prepared through a similar impregnation
method, could only yield THFA with a selectivity of 53.2% un‐
der the same conditions. The higher catalytic performance for
the hydrogenation saturation of FUR to THFA over
(a)
100
80
THFA
60
FA
Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2
compared
with
that
over
CPONE
Pd@MIL‐101(Cr) arose from the existence of free amine moie‐
ties within the frameworks, which could enhance the hydro‐
philic nature of the support and the formation of highly dis‐
persed Pd NPs. Furthermore, the amine groups could improve
the hydrogen bonding interactions between FA and the MOF
matrix, which thus promoted a further hydrogenation of FA to
THFA in cooperation with the metallic sites [36]. Therefore, the
multifunctional Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 resulted in a higher se‐
lectivity of THFA for FUR hydrogenation.
others
40
20
0
40
60
80
100
30
Temperature (oC)
The recyclability test was performed with Pd@MIL‐
101(Cr)‐NH2 under the same reaction conditions to evaluate
the catalyst stability. After each cycle of the reaction, the cata‐
lyst was separated and washed thoroughly with water and
Table 1
Hydrogenation of FUR under different catalysts.
Selectivity (%)
Time Conversion
Catalyst
(h)
(%)
FA
–
THFA
–
6
MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2
–
6
1.3 wt% Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2
3.0 wt% Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2
5.4 wt% Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2
2.7 wt% Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)
98.9
>99.9
>99.9
97.7
43.3
0.0
0.4
46.8
56.7
>99.9
99.6
53.2
Fig. 5. (a) Influence of reaction temperature on the products selectivity
of FUR hydrogenation over Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 (Pd 3.0 wt%) cata‐
lyst. Reaction conditions: FUR 2.1 mmol, water 20 mL, amount of cata‐
lyst 0.05 g, 2 MPa H2, 6 h, others include MTHF, 5‐hydroxy‐2‐pentanone
and some unknown intermediate products. (b) Reaction pathways of
the aqueous phase selectivity hydrogenation of furfural over
Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 catalysts.
6
4
6
Reaction conditions: FUR, 2.1 mmol, water, 20 mL, catalyst, 0.05 g, hy‐
drogen pressure, 2 MPa, 40 °C, stirring speed, 700 r·min .
−
1

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Dongdong Yin et al. / Chinese Journal of Catalysis 39 (2018) 319–326
Pd
leaching,
ICP
experiments
with
the
used
100
80
60
40
20
0
Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 and reaction liquid were performed. The
results showed that the Pd content in Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2
was higher than 2.9 wt% and no Pd in the reaction liquid was
detected.
4. Conclusions
Run 1
Run 2
Run 3
Run 4
Palladium nanoparticles were successfully incorporated in‐
to MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 by a direct anionic exchange approach
followed by hydrogen reduction. The presence of amino groups
within the frameworks plays a key role in the formation of uni‐
form and highly dispersed Pd nanoparticles on the support.
Pd@MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 has been demonstrated to be an efficient
and reusable heterogeneous catalyst in the aqueous phase se‐
lective hydrogenation of the biomass platform compound FUR
to THFA under the mild conditions of 40 °C and 2 MPa of H2.
The high activity and selectivity toward THFA benefit from the
cooperation between the highly dispersed Pd nanoparticles
and amino groups in the framework of MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2. The
present results provide the possibility to further extend the
applications of Metal@MOF composites to biomass usage.
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
Time (h)
100
80
60
40
20
0
Conversion of FUR
Selectivity of THFA
Selectivity of FA
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Dongdong Yin et al. / Chinese Journal of Catalysis 39 (2018) 319–326
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Graphical Abstract
Chin. J. Catal., 2018, 39: 319–326 doi: 10.1016/S1872‐2067(18)63009‐8
Highly selective hydrogenation of furfural to tetrahydrofurfuryl alcohol over MIL‐101(Cr)‐NH2 supported Pd catalyst at low
temperature
Dongdong Yin, Hangxing Ren, Chuang Li, Jinxuan Liu *, Changhai Liang *
Dalian University of Technology; Research Institute of CSIC
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Dongdong Yin et al. / Chinese Journal of Catalysis 39 (2018) 319–326
MIL-101(Cr)-NH2负载Pd低温催化糠醛高选择性加氢生成四氢糠醇
殷冬冬a,†, 任航星b,†, 李 闯a, 刘进轩c,#, 梁长海a,*
a大连理工大学先进材料与催化工程实验室, 辽宁大连116024
b邯郸净化设备研究所, 河北邯郸056027
c大连理工大学精细化工国家重点实验室, 人工光合作用研究所, 辽宁大连116024
摘要: 随着资源枯竭和环境污染严重问题的凸显, 生物质转化的研究越来越多, 特别是生物质催化裂解制备生物燃料及高
附加值的化学品. 糠醛是一种半纤维素酸解的产物, 也是生产糠醇、四氢糠醇、2-甲基呋喃、环戊酮等的重要原料. 其中
四氢糠醇既可以用于生产其他高附加值化学品, 也可以用作生物燃料或者燃料添加剂. 虽然Pd/MFI, Ni/SiO2, Pd-Ir/SiO2等
催化剂均可用于糠醛选择加氢制备四氢糠醇, 但是反应通常在高温高压条件下进行. 为此我们希望找到一种在温和条件
下使用的高效催化剂. MOF多孔材料具有丰富的孔道结构、极高的比表面积、表面可修饰的特点, 还可与其他客体发生相
互作用, 进而影响催化性能. 因此本课题组合成了一种含有氨基的MOF材料MIL-101(Cr)-NH2, 进一步利用表面氨基吸附
Pd的氯酸盐前体, 经还原直接制得负载型催化剂Pd@MIL-101(Cr)-NH2, 并用于糠醛选择加氢反应.
本文采用X射线粉末衍射(PXRD)、热重分析(TG)、N2物理吸附-脱附、透射电镜(TEM)等手段表征了所制的MOFs和
催化剂. 通过将MIL-101(Cr)-NH2和不同Pd@MIL-101(Cr)-NH2的XRD谱与标准谱图对比, 发现MIL-101(Cr)-NH2已成功合
成, 并在催化剂制备过程中和反应之后仍然保持稳定. TG结果表明, 所制备MIL-101(Cr)-NH2在低于350 °C时结构不会被
破环. MIL-101(Cr)-NH2的比表面积可达到1669 m2 g‒1, 孔容达1.35 cm3 g‒1, 从而为Pd纳米粒子均匀分散在载体上提供了可
能性. 各Pd@MIL-101(Cr)-NH2样品的TEM照片我们看出, Pd纳米粒子可均匀分散在MIL-101(Cr)-NH2上, 粒径为3‒4 nm.
对比实验表明, 氨基与金属的相互作用有利于Pd纳米粒子分散均匀.
将Pd@MIL-101(Cr)-NH2用于糠醛选择加氢反应时, 在40 °C, 2 MPa H2的温和条件下, 反应6 h后糠醛完全转化为四氢
糠醇其选择性接近100%. 表现出比文献报导的更加优异的催化性能. 这得益于高度均匀分散的Pd纳米粒子, 以及催化剂
载体与Pd纳米粒子的配位作用和π-π相互作用. 结果还表明当高于80°C反应时, 即有副产物生成, 进一步提高反应温度会促
进环戊酮的生成. 可见, Pd@MIL-101(Cr)-NH2所表现的低温高加氢活性对提高四氢糠醇选择性至关重要.
关键词: 金属有机框架材料; 氨基功能化; 钯纳米粒子; 生物质; 选择加氢
收稿日期: 2017-11-10. 接受日期: 2017-12-26. 出版日期: 2018-02-05.
*通讯联系人. 电话/传真: (0411)84986353; 电子信箱: changhai@dlut.edu.cn
#通讯联系人. 电话: (0411)84986487; 传真: (0411)84986245; 电子信箱: jinxuan.liu@dlut.edu.cn
†共同第一作者.
基金来源: 国家自然科学基金(21573031, 21673032); 大连市高层次人才创新支持计划项目(2016RD09); 中央高校基本科研业务
费资助(DUT17LK21); 厦门大学固体表面物理化学国家重点实验室开放课题(201507).
本文的电子版全文由Elsevier出版社在ScienceDirect上出版(http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/18722067).