Cu nanoparticles supported on core–shell MgO-La2O3 catalyzed hydrogenolysis of furfuryl alcohol to pentanediol

Selective ring-opening hydrogenolysis of the furan ring is the key to the efficient conversion of furfuryl alcohol (FFA) to high-value pentanediol. In this work, highly dispersed [email protected]2O3 was designed and synthesized with a core–shell structure, and bifunctional metal and alkaline sites for the direct hydrolysis of FFA (94.9% conversion) to 1,2-pentanediol (1,2-PeD, with 67.1% selectivity) and 1,5-pentanediol (1,5-PeD, with 18.8% selectivity). Multiple characterization results indicated that at an Mg/La ratio of 1.9, the outer surface contained distributed La2O3-MgO species with uniformly dispersed Cu0 nanoparticles, and the inner layer of the catalyst possessed MgO, while some Cu0 were distributed at the La2O3 and MgO interface. The addition of MgO increased the specific surface area of the outer layer, improving the dispersion of Cu and facilitating the formation of Cu0. In-situ FTIR experiments showed that FFA was adsorbed on the La2O3 alkaline site of the carrier through the O atoms of the furan ring and CH2OH, which induced ring-opening to generate enol intermediates, which further hydrogenated to 1,2-PeD and 1,5-PeD over the Cu0 nanoparticles. Thus, this new core–shell structure combining with metal and alkaline sites provides new insight for developing effective and selective hydrogenolysis catalysts.