Biomass substrate-derived graphene-like N-doped porous carbon nanosheet-supported PtCo nanocatalyst for efficient and selective hydrogenation of unsaturated furanic aldehydes.

Unsaturated furanic aldehydes are derived from lignocellulosic biomass resources and subsequently used to produce valuable chemicals. However, the highly efficient, selective hydrogenation of the biomass-derived unsaturated furan CO bond remains challenging. Here we report that graphene-like nitrogen doped porous carbon (GNPC) nanosheets are synthesized from carbon-rich, sustainable, and renewable biomass precursors (glucose, fructose and 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, HMF) with high surface areas, large pore volumes and narrow mesopores. GNPC derived from HMF is an excellent catalyst support for PtCo nanoparticles with ultrafine nanoparticles size and homogeneous distributions. This catalyst is highly efficient for hydrogenation of biomass-derived furan-based unsaturated aldehydes, with high yields, to the corresponding unsaturated alcohols under mild conditions. This design strategy should further allow the development of selective, simple, green heterogeneous catalysts for challenging chemical transformations.