1. Surface functionalized Pt/SnNb2O6 nanosheets for visible-light-driven the precise hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol
- Author
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Huan Wang, Mingchuang Shen, Cheng Liu, Ling Wu, Zhiwen Wang, Yingzhang Shi, and Taikang Wu
- Subjects
Materials science ,Energy Engineering and Power Technology ,Environmental pollution ,Furfural ,Furfuryl alcohol ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Fuel Technology ,chemistry ,Chemical engineering ,Electrochemistry ,Photocatalysis ,Lewis acids and bases ,Selectivity ,Energy (miscellaneous) ,Nanosheet ,Visible spectrum - Abstract
Photocatalytic upgrading of renewable biomass is a promising way to relieve energy crisis and environmental pollution. However, low photocatalytic efficiency and uncontrollable selectivity still limit its development. Herein, ultrathin SnNb2O6 nanosheets with high dispersed Pt nanoparticles (Pt/SN) were successfully developed as an efficient photocatalyst for the precise hydrogenation of furfural (FUR) to furfuryl alcohol (FOL) under visible light irradiation and exhibited the high conversion of FUR (99.9%) with the high selectivity for FOL (99.9%). It was revealed that SN with only 4.1 nm thickness possess good separation ability of photo-generated carriers and abundant surface Lewis acid sites (Nb5+) which would selectively chemisorb and activate FUR molecules via the Nb···O = C coordination. Meanwhile, Pt nanoparticles would gather photo-generated electrons for greatly promoting the generation of active H species to support the hydrogenation of FUR to FOL. The synergistic effects between SnNb2O6 nanosheets and Pt nanoparticles remarkably facilitate the photocatalytic performance for hydrogenation. This work not only confirms the great potential of ultrathin nanosheet photocatalyst with functional metal sites for precise upgrading of biomass but also provides an in-depth view to understand the surface/interface interaction between reactant molecules and surface sites of a photocatalyst.
- Published
- 2022