The Roles of Precursor-Induced Metal–Support Interaction on the Selective Hydrogenation of Crotonaldehyde over Ir/TiO2 Catalysts

Various supported Ir/TiO2 catalysts were prepared using different Ir precursors (i.e., H2IrCl6, (NH4)2IrCl6 and Ir(acac)3) and tested for vapor phase selective hydrogenation of crotonaldehyde. The choice of Ir precursor significantly altered the Ir-TiOx interaction in the catalyst, which thus had essential influences on the geometric and electronic properties of the Ir species, reducibility, and surface acidity, and, consequently, their reaction behaviors. The Ir/TiO2-N catalyst using (NH4)2IrCl6 as the precursor gave the highest initial reaction rates and turnover frequencies of crotyl alcohol formation. Such high performance was ascribed to the high Ir dispersion and high surface concentration of Ir0 species, as well as a higher surface acidity, in the Ir/TiO2-N catalyst compared to its counterparts, indicating the synergistic roles of the Ir-TiOx interface in the reaction, as the interfacial sites were responsible for the adsorption/activation of H2 and the C=O bond in the crotonaldehyde molecule.