Synergetic effect of bimetallic CuNi-ZrO2 catalysts for catalytic transfer hydrogenation of furfural

Bimetallic synergy can competently optimize the electronic structure of the active metals and coordinate the interaction between metal components, which is a good strategy to effectively enhance the catalytic performance and stability of monometallic catalysts. Herein, we report a CuNi bimetallic catalyst supported on the mesoporous zirconia prepared via electrospinning technology, which can achieve high catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH) performance with excellent cycle stability. The effect of bimetallic synergistic effect on CTH capacity was systematically investigated by precisely regulating Cu/Ni molar ratio. The optimized Cu2Ni1-ZrO2 catalyst exhibited exceptional performance, achieving 88.9% furfural conversion with 93.6% furfuryl alcohol selectivity in isopropanol under 170℃ for 12 h, accompanied by a notable TOF value of 4.90 h-1. The electron transfer between Cu and Ni promotes the generation of more Cu0/Cu+ active sites, which effectively enhances the CTH activity of the catalyst. Additionally, the Cu2Ni1-ZrO2 catalyst showed stable performance over 6 cycles with negligible activity decay. Finally, the hydrogen transfer path of furfural on the catalyst surface was studied via H isotope labeling mass experiments.