A highly dispersed Ni3P/HZSM-5 catalyst for hydrodeoxygenation of phenolic compounds to cycloalkanes

A highly dispersed Ni3P/HZSM-5 catalyst was prepared by deposition-precipitation of Ni species followed by electroless plating and thermal treatment, and characterized by means of XRD, ICP, N-2 physical adsorption, TEM, XPS, NH3-TPD, and CO chemisorption. Electroless plating reaction takes place in an aqueous solution under mild conditions, facilitating the high dispersion of the formed Ni3P particles. XRD measurements illustrated the lamellar nickel phyllosilicate was produced at the first step of deposition-precipitation, amorphous Ni-P was formed in the subsequent electroless plating, and highly dispersed Ni3P crystallites were generated in thermal treatment. TEM observation demonstrated that the average particle size of Ni3P crystallites in the prepared Ni3P/HZSM-5 catalyst was 4.3 nm. Bifunctional Ni3P/HZSM-5 was investigated in hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) of phenolic compounds, including phenol, m-cresol, and guaiacol. Ni3P/HZSM-5 exhibited high catalytic performance in HDO with enhanced hydrogenation and dehydration pathway. (c) 2022 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.