Insights into influence of nanoparticle size and metal-support interactions of Cu/ZnO catalysts on activity for furfural hydrogenation

Cu/ZnO catalysts primarily derived from aurichalcite with Cu/Zn = 0.4-1.1 (mol/mol) were prepared via decreased pH coprecipitation method and introduced in hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol. The precursor effect was clearly confirmed and the catalyst with a Cu/Zn = 0.8 provided the best conversion and TOF. Catalysts were characterized via XRD, FT-IR, N2O titration, TEM, H-2-TPR, XPS and AES. The size of Cu nanoparticles and Cu-ZnO interactions were systematically investigated and were found to remarkably influence catalytic activity of the catalysts. Consequently, the best catalytic performance for the catalyst with Cu/Zn = 0.8 was due to the suitable Cu particle size (8 nm) and strong metal-support interactions (SMSI), acting as the Cu-ZnO synergy.