Controlling the Production of Acid Catalyzed Products of Furfural Hydrogenation by Pd/TiO<sub>2</sub>
George F. Tierney, Shahram Alijani, Monik Panchal, Donato Decarolis, Martha Briceno de Gutierrez, Khaled M. H. Mohammed, June Callison, Emma K. Gibson, Paul Thompson, Paul Collier, Nikolaos Dimitratos, E. Crina Corbos, Frédéric Pelletier, Alberto Villa, Peter P. Wells
Abstract
Abstract We demonstrate a modified sol‐immobilization procedure using (MeOH) x /(H 2 O) 1‐x solvent mixtures to prepare Pd/TiO 2 catalysts that are able to reduce the formation of acid catalyzed products, e. g. ethers, for the hydrogenation of furfural. Transmission electron microscopy found a significant increase in polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) deposition at the metal‐support interface and temperature programmed reduction found a reduced uptake of hydrogen, compared to an established Pd/TiO 2 preparation. We propose that the additional PVA hinders hydrogen spillover onto the TiO 2 support and limits the formation of Brønsted acid sites, required to produce ethers. Elsewhere, the new preparation route was able to successfully anchor colloidal Pd to the TiO 2 surface, without the need for acidification. This work demonstrates the potential for minimizing process steps as well as optimizing catalyst selectivity – both important objectives for sustainable chemistry.