Synergistic Effects of Alloying and Thiolate Modification in Furfural Hydrogenation over Cu-Based Catalysts.

Control of bimetallic surface composition and surface modification with self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) represent two methods for modifying catalyst activity and selectivity. However, possible synergistic effects of employing these strategies in concert have not been previously explored. We investigated the effects of modifying Cu/Al2O3 catalysts by alloying with Ni and modifying with octadecanethiol (C18) SAMs, using furfural hydrogenation as a probe reaction.