(544ba) Bifunctional Zeolite-Encapsulated Pt Catalysts for Tandem Aldol Condensation and Hydrogenation of Furfural with Acetone

Supported metal nanoparticles (NPs) are widely used catalysts in petrochemical and biomass processing, but frequently suffer from catalyst deactivation either due to sintering of NPs at high temperatures or leaching from the support caused by the weak NPs/support interaction. Encapsulating metal NPs into zeolites (M@zeolite) is a promising approach to address these challenges. In this work, Pt NPs were successfully encapsulated in zeolites with MFI topology. No sintering and leaching of NPs were observed on the encapsulated Pt@MFI materials. In addition, Pt@ZSM-5 catalysts with bifuctional metal/Brϕnsted acid sites were used for tandem aldol condensation and hydrogenation of furfural with acetone. The Pt@ZSM-5 catalysts showed highly selective production of 4-(2-furanyl) butan-2-ol from the furfural aldol condensation with acetone and its subsequent hydrogenation.