Nanofibers and amorphous Ni/Al₂O₃ catalysts - Effect of steric hindrance on hydrogenation performance

In this study, we have demonstrated the significance of steric hindrance on the activity of a typical heterogeneous catalyst, Ni/Al₂O₃, for the hydrogenation of the biomass-derived furans. The nanofibrous Ni-Al₂O₃ catalyst, prepared via an electrospinning method, possessed a much lower specific area and nickel atom percentage on the surface than the amorphous Ni/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst, but showed a much superior activity for the hydrogenation of the furans. At room temperature, the conversion of furfural reached 99.0% over the nanofibrous Ni-Al₂O₃, while the Ni/γ-Al₂O₃ catalyst showed negligible activity, originating from their varied steric hindrances of accessing the nickel sites by the organic feedstock.