Hydrogen Doping into MoO Supports toward Modulated Metal-Support Interactions and Efficient Furfural Hydrogenation on Iridium Nanocatalysts.

As promising supports, reducible metal oxides afford strong metal-support interactions to achieve efficient catalysis, which relies on their band states and surface stoichiometry. In this study, in situ and controlled hydrogen doping (H doping) by means of H spillover was employed to engineer the metal-support interactions in hydrogenated MoO -supported Ir (Ir/H-MoO ) catalysts and thus promote furfural hydrogenation to furfuryl alcohol. By easily varying the reduction temperature, the resulting H doping in a controlled manner tailors low-valence Mo species (Mo and Mo ) on H-MoO supports, thereby promoting charge redistribution on Ir and H-MoO interfaces. This further leads to clear differences in H chemisorption on Ir, which illustrates its potential for catalytic hydrogenation. As expected, the optimal Ir/H-MoO with controlled H doping afforded high activity (turnover frequency: 4.62 min ) and selectivity (>99 %) in furfural hydrogenation under mild conditions (T=30 °C, PH2 =2 MPa), which means it performs among the best of current catalysts.