Preparation and catalytic performance of Ni-B amorphous alloy supported by chitosan/SiO2

Ni-B amorphous catalyst supported by chitosan (CS)-modified silica (Ni-B/CS/SiO2) was prepared using the impregnation-reduction method. The as-prepared catalysts were characterized using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra, inductively coupled plasma (ICP) spectrometer, Brunauter-Emmett-Teller (BET) method, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and selected area electron diffraction (SAED). The results showed that the particle sizes, the surface content of Ni active species, and catalytic activity were improved by introducing chitosan to the surface of silica. In the hydrogenation of furfuryl alcohol (FA) to tetrafurfural alcohol (THFA), the amorphous Ni-B/CS/SiO2 catalyst exhibited superior catalytic activity to the corresponding traditional Ni-B/SiO2 amorphous catalyst and Raney Ni.