A Sulfur‐Fixing Strategy toward Carbon‐Supported Ru‐Based Bimetallic Nanocluster Catalysts

Abstract

AbstractSupported bimetallic nanocluster catalysts that are distinctly advantageous in optimizing the geometric/electronic effects and maximizing the metal atom utilization have attracted immense interest in the field of heterogeneous catalysis. However, the conventional impregnation techniques often cause poor dispersion of bimetallic particles even on high‐surface‐area supports owing to the lack of strong metal‐support interactions. Here, we present a general route to prepare Ru−M (M=Ga, In, Ge, Sn, Ni) bimetallic nanoclusters with average particle sizes of 1.02–1.24 nm by use of mesoporous sulfur‐doped carbon as supports. The strong chemical interaction between metal and the sulfur atoms that are doped in the carbon matrix can greatly suppress the aggregation of metal species during the H2‐reduction at 600 °C and thus guarantee the formation of small‐sized alloyed nanoclusters. Among these nanoclusters, the prepared bimetallic Ru−Sn nanocluster catalysts show enhanced catalytic activity for the selective hydrogenation of quinoline and furfural with a high turnover frequency of 2948 h−1 and 184 h−1, respectively.