Design of N-Doped Carbon Materials Assisted Co-CoOx Anchoring on Mesoporous Silica Spheres Catalyst for Levulinic Acid Valorization

The design of robust catalyst was of great significance for the valorization of biomass platforms. Herein, an efficient Co@mSiO(2)-CN catalyst was constructed via a simple impregnation-mixing-pyrolysis strategy, which could give 100 % yield of gamma-valerolactone from levulinic acid for no less than cycles under a relatively mild reaction conditions (160 degrees C, 1.5 MPa H-2,3 h).The results of catalyst characterizations and comparative experiments showed that the introduction of nitrogen-doped carbon materials promoted the dispersion of Co and enhanced the Lewis acidity of the catalyst, thereby promoting the dissociation of H-2 and the activation of C-O, respectively. The synergistic effect between the hydrogenation metal sites and the Lewis acidic site ensures excellent activity of the catalyst.

Automated summary

The design of a robust catalyst is crucial for the effective utilization of biomass platforms. In this study, a Co@mSiO(2)-CN catalyst was successfully fabricated through a simple strategy, which achieved 100% yield of gamma-valerolactone from levulinic acid under mild reaction conditions. The introduction of nitrogen-doped carbon materials enhanced the dispersion of Co and the Lewis acidity of the catalyst, resulting in improved hydrogen dissociation and C-O activation. The synergistic effect between the hydrogenation metal sites and Lewis acidic sites contributed to the excellent activity of the catalyst.