Ni-Co nano-alloys confined by N-doped porous carbon overlayer to boost hydrodeoxygenation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

Ni-Co nano-alloys confined by in-situ formed N-doped porous carbon overlayer have been prepared through chelation of metal cations with citric acid and urea followed by carbonization for hydrodeoxygenation of 5hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) into 2, 5-dimethylfuran (DMF). The results indicated that the Ni-Co nano-alloys were formed and homogeneously distributed within the N-doped porous carbon overlayer. The electronic effect of the Ni-Co nano-alloys significantly boosted hydrodeoxygenation activity of the Co2Ni1@NC catalyst and simultaneously inhibited further hydrogenation and opening of furan ring. The N-doped porous carbon overlayer around Ni-Co nano-alloys not only facilitated to disperse and stable Ni-Co nano-alloys through strong metal- support interaction, but also protected the Ni-Co nano-alloys from aggregation. Therefore, the Co2Ni1@NC catalyst offered superior catalytic performance with the HMF conversion of 100 % and DMF selectivity of 93.0 %. Moreover, the Co2Ni1@NC catalyst displayed excellent stability without significant activity loss after five recycles due to the spatial confinement of N-doped carbon overlayer.