Tailoring Cu-SiO Interaction through Nanocatalyst Architecture to Assemble Surface Sites for Furfural Aqueous-Phase Hydrogenation to Cycloketones.

In this contribution, nanocatalysts with rather diverse architectures were designed to promote different intimacy degrees between Cu and SiO and consequently tune distinct Cu-SiO interactions. Previously synthesized copper nanoparticles were deposited onto SiO (NPCu/SiO) in contrast to ordinarily prepared supported Cu/SiO. NPCu@SiO and SiO@Cu core-shell nanocatalysts were also synthesized, and they were all bulk and surface characterized by XRD, TGA, TEM/HRTEM, H-TPR, XANES, and XPS.