Active Hydrogenation Catalysts Research Articles

Metallic Barium: A Versatile and Efficient Hydrogenation Catalyst

AbstractBa metal was activated by evaporation and cocondensation with heptane. This black powder is a highly active hydrogenation catalyst for the reduction of a variety of unactivated (non‐conjugated) mono‐, di‐ and tri‐substituted alkenes, tetraphenylethylene, benzene, a number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, aldimines, ketimines and various pyridines. The performance of metallic Ba in hydrogenation catalysis tops that of the hitherto most active molecular group 2 metal catalysts. Depending on the substrate, two different catalytic cycles are proposed. A: a classical metal hydride cycle and B: the Ba metal cycle. The latter is proposed for substrates that are easily reduced by Ba0, that is, conjugated alkenes, alkynes, annulated rings, imines and pyridines. In addition, a mechanism in which Ba0 and BaH2 are both essential is discussed. DFT calculations on benzene hydrogenation with a simple model system (Ba/BaH2) confirm that the presence of metallic Ba has an accelerating effect.

Metallic Barium: A Versatile and Efficient Hydrogenation Catalyst.

Ba metal was activated by evaporation and cocondensation with heptane. This black powder is a highly active hydrogenation catalyst for the reduction of a variety of unactivated (non‐conjugated) mono‐, di‐ and tri‐substituted alkenes, tetraphenylethylene, benzene, a number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, aldimines, ketimines and various pyridines. The performance of metallic Ba in hydrogenation catalysis tops that of the hitherto most active molecular group 2 metal catalysts. Depending on the substrate, two different catalytic cycles are proposed. A: a classical metal hydride cycle and B: the Ba metal cycle. The latter is proposed for substrates that are easily reduced by Ba0, that is, conjugated alkenes, alkynes, annulated rings, imines and pyridines. In addition, a mechanism in which Ba0 and BaH2 are both essential is discussed. DFT calculations on benzene hydrogenation with a simple model system (Ba/BaH2) confirm that the presence of metallic Ba has an accelerating effect.

The Hydrogenation Problem in Cobalt‐based Catalytic Hydroaminomethylation

AbstractThe hydroaminomethylation (HAM) reaction converts alkenes into N‐alkylated amines and has been well studied for rhodium‐ and ruthenium‐based catalytic systems. Cobalt‐based catalytic systems are able to perform the essential hydroformylation reaction, but are also known to form very active hydrogenation catalysts, therefore we examined such a system for its potential use in the HAM reaction. Thus, we have quantum‐chemically explored the hydrogenation activity of [HCo(CO)3] in model reactions with ethene, methyleneamine, formaldehyde, and vinylamine using dispersion‐corrected relativistic density functional theory at ZORA‐BLYP‐D3(BJ)/TZ2P. Our computations reveal essentially identical overall barriers for the catalytic hydrogenation of ethene, formaldehyde, and vinylamine. This strongly suggests that a cobalt‐based catalytic system will lack hydrogenation selectivity in experimental HAM reactions. Our HAM experiments with a cobalt‐based catalytic system (consisting of Co2(CO)8 as cobalt source and P(n‐Bu)3 as ligand) resulted in the formation of the desired N‐alkylated amine. However, significant amounts of hydrogenated starting material as well as alcohol (hydrogenated aldehyde) were always formed. The use of cobalt‐based catalysts in the HAM reaction to selectively form N‐alkylated amines seems therefore not feasible. This confirms our computational prediction and highlights the usefulness of state‐of‐the‐art DFT computations for guiding future experiments.

Theory Driven Catalysts Design for Hydrogenation Reactions in Solid Oxide Electrolyzer

Hydrogenation reactions are essential processes in the chemical industry, giving access to a variety of valuable compounds. CO2 and N2 can be transformed into carbonates and NH3 through hydrogenation reactions. Metal oxides supported metals/alloys are the most investigated catalytic materials in heterogeneous electrochemical catalysis. The strong metal-support interaction (SMSI), which determines the catalytic activity, largely depends on chemical conditions of the support and particle size of dispersed metal nanoparticles (NPs). In this work, we studied the SMSI in doped CeO2 supported noble metal NPs systems and their activities for CO2 and N2 hydrogenation reactions in solid oxide electrolyzer. By using a combination of high-throughput density functional theory (DFT) calculations and electrochemical measurements in solid oxide electrolyzer, we developed highly active catalysts for CO2 and N2 hydrogenation reactions.The reactions of CO2 and N2 hydrogenation normally require large energy input because both CO2 and N2 are quite stable and inert molecules with strong chemical bonds and low polarizability. The adsorption of CO2 and N2 molecules on metal-oxide composite surfaces is normally quite weak, which results in large energy barriers for their activation processes. We performed DFT calculations to determine the key properties for selected doped CeO2 supported noble metal NPs systems to achieving high performance under solid oxide electrolyzer operating conditions. The predictions were further confirmed by the experiments. The highly predictive DFT calculations played a great role in determining the development of electrochemical catalysts for hydrogenation and reactions. Atomic-level materials properties and reaction pathways based on different reaction mechanisms from DFT paved the way for searching for highly active catalysts. The experimental evidence indicated that it is applicable to several hydrogenation reactions.

2D and 3D Ruthenium Nanoparticle Covalent Assemblies for Phenyl Acetylene Hydrogenation

The bottom‐up covalent assembly of metallic nanoparticles (NP) represents one of the innovative tools in nanotechnology to build functional heterostructures, with the resulting assemblies showing superior collective properties over the individual NP for a broad range of applications. The ability to control the dimensionality of the assembly is one of the major challenges in designing and understanding these advanced materials. Here, two new organic linkers were used as building blocks in order to guide the organization of Ru NP into two‐ or three‐dimensional covalent assemblies. The use of a hexa‐adduct functionalized C60 leads to the formation of 3D networks of 2.2 nm Ru NP presenting an interparticle distance of 3.0 nm, and the use of a planar carboxylic acid triphenylene derivative allows the synthesis of 2D networks of 1.9 nm Ru NP with an interparticle distance of 3.1 nm. The Ru NP networks were found to be active catalysts for the selective hydrogenation of phenylacetylene, reaching good selectivity toward styrene. Overall, we demonstrated that catalyst performances are significantly affected by the dimensionality (2D vs. 3D) of the heterostructures, which can be rationalize based on confinement effects.

Water Dissociation and Hydroxyl Formation on Ni(110).

Nickel is an active catalyst for hydrogenation and re-forming reactions, with the reactions showing a strong dependence on the surface exposed. Here, we describe the mixed hydroxyl–water phases formed during water dissociation on Ni(110) using scanning tunneling microscopy and low-current low-energy electron diffraction. Water dissociation starts between 150 and 180 K as the H-bond structure evolves from linear one-dimensional (1D) chains of intact water into a two-dimensional (2D) network containing short rows of face-sharing hexagonal rings. As further water desorbs, the hexagonal rows adopt a local (2 × 3) arrangement, forming small, disordered domains separated by strain relief features. Decomposition of this phase occurs near 220 K to form linear 1D structures consisting of flat, zigzag water chains, with each water stabilized by donating one H to hydroxyl to form a branched chain structure. The OH–H2O chains repel each other, with the saturation layer ordering into a (2 0, 1 4) structure that decomposes to OH near 245 K as further water desorbs. The structure of the mixed OH/H2O phases is discussed and contrasted with those found on the related Cu(110) surface, with the differences attributed to strain in the 2D H-bond network caused by the short Ni lattice spacing and strong bond to OH/H2O.

Nanoreactors based on hydrophobized tubular aluminosilicates decorated with ruthenium: Highly active and stable catalysts for aromatics hydrogenation

Industrial hydrogenation catalysts must be not only selective and active but also resistant to feedstock impurities, including water. We report the strategy of preparing catalytic core-shell nanoreactors based on hydrophobized aluminosilicate nanotubes loaded with ruthenium. The modification of halloysite with alkyltriethoxysilanes enhances hydrophobicity of the clay nanotubes (water contact angle up to 122°) and enables their selective loading with 4-nm ruthenium particles. Such a core-shell tubular nanoreactors provide shielding of active sites from deactivation by admixed water and prevent metal leaching. Produced mesoscale catalysts were active in the hydrogenation of aromatics both in organic and aqueous media at 80 °C and a hydrogen pressure of 3 MPa. Benzene hydrogenation in the biphasic system with water resulted in a complete conversion with 100 % selectivity to cyclohexane over halloysite modified by C18-triethoxysilane supported ruthenium catalyst with turnover frequency (TOF) of 4371 h−1. This catalytic system remained stable after ten cycles of benzene hydrogenation, providing 98 % conversion. The demonstrated synthetic strategy is promising for the design of industrial catalysts for the hydroprocessing water-containing organic feedstock and may be upscaled due to the abundant availability of halloysite clay nanotubes.

Mild-temperature hydrogenation of carbonyls over Co-ZIF-9 derived Co-ZIF-x nanoparticle catalyst

Benzimidazole and metal cobalt salts were employed in the synthesis of Co-ZIF-9 by solvothermal crystallization. Highly active catalysts for selective hydrogenation of carbonyl compounds were developed. The optimal nanocatalyst Co-ZIF-350 manifested remarkable activity and selectivity for the hydrogenation of cyclohexanone under mild conditions. Catalytic conversion of cyclohexanone reached the highest over the catalyst of Co-ZIF-9-pyrolyzed at 350 °C for 2 h, in which the conversion of cyclohexanone was 100 % and the selectivity of cyclohexanol was ＞99 % at 50 °C. A wide scope of ketones/aromatic aldehydes could be selectively reduced to the corresponding alcohols with high yields. Importantly, the nanocatalyst Co-ZIF-350 presented good tolerance of substrates with various functional groups under mild conditions.

Rhodium Nanoparticles Incorporated Mesoporous Silica as an Active Catalyst for Cyclohexene Hydrogenation under Ambient Conditions

Rhodium (Rh) nanoparticles were embedded in the mesopores of TUD-1 siliceous material and denoted as Rh-TUD-1. Five samples of Rh-TUD-1 were prepared with different loadings of Rh that ranged from 0.1 to 2 wt% using the sol-gel technique. The prepared samples were characterized by means of several chemical and physical techniques. The obtained characterization results show the formation of highly distributed Rh0 nanoparticles with an average size ranging from 3 to 5 nm throughout the three-dimensional silica matrix of TUD-1. The catalytic activity of the prepared catalysts was evaluated in the solvent-free hydrogenation of cyclohexene to cyclohexane at room temperature using 1atm of hydrogen gas. The obtained catalytic results confirm the high activity of Rh-TUD-1, in which a turn over frequency (TOF) ranging from 4.94 to 0.54 s−1 was obtained. Moreover, the change in reaction temperature during the reaction was monitored, and it showed an obvious increase in the reaction temperature as an indication of the spontaneous and exothermic nature of the reactions. Other optimization parameters, such as the substrate/catalyst ratio, and performing the reaction under non-ambient conditions (temperature = 60 °C and hydrogen pressure = 5 atm) were also investigated. Rh-TUD-1 exhibited a high stability in a consecutive reaction of five runs under either ambient or non-ambient conditions.

Effect of Nanoporous Structure on the Catalytic Activity of Nanoporous Palladium for Hydrogenation of Nitro Compounds

AbstractThe effect of nanoporous structure on the catalytic activity of palladium catalysts for hydrogenation of nitro compounds was investigated. The order of the catalytic activity of the six types of nanoporous palladium (PdNPore) catalysts produced was very similar to the order of their specific surface area. Compared with other catalysts synthesized in this study, the PdNPore catalyst (Pd86Al14) with a ligament size of 20 nm and specific surface area of 40.81 m2 g−1 exhibited relatively high activity. The hydrogenation reactions of various nitro compounds proceeded smoothly with good functional group tolerance in the presence of this PdNPore catalyst under mild conditions. Moreover, the PdNPore catalyst could be simply recovered and reused several times without any loss of activity.

Acetate Acetylacetonate Ampy Ruthenium(II) Complexes as Efficient Catalysts for Ketone Transfer Hydrogenation

AbstractThe mixed acetate acetylacetonate (acac) ruthenium(II) phosphine complexes Ru(OAc)(acac)P2 [P2=(PPh3)2, Ph2P(CH2)4PPh2 (dppb)] were prepared by protonation of Ru(OAc)2(PPh3)2 with acetylacetone in dichloromethane. Reaction of the dppb derivative with 2‐(aminomethyl)pyridine (ampy) affords the complex Ru(OAc)(acac)(ampy)(dppb), which converts to [Ru(acac)(ampy)(dppb)](OAc) in toluene at 90 °C. In the former derivative the ampy ligand is monodentate and coordinates through the NH2‐moiety. The isolated acac complexes are active catalysts for the transfer hydrogenation of ketones with loadings as low as 0.01 mol%, the ampy having a strong accelerating effect. Several aromatic and aliphatic ketone substrates are converted to their corresponding alcohols, and different electronic influences through substituents on acetophenone are tolerated.

Pt nanoparticles anchored on rare metal oxide coated on SBA-15: a highly active catalyst for synergistic catalytic hydrogenation of benzaldehyde

We report a novel hybrid nano-structure Pt catalyst, by coating rare metal oxide (CeO2 or La2O3) on the surface of SBA-15, then anchoring Pt nanoparticles on the CeO2/SBA-15 or La2O3/SBA-15 via a photochemical route. For the hydrogenation of benzaldehyde, the Pt/@-CeO2/SBA-15 and Pt/@-La2O3/SBA-15 catalysts demonstrated outstanding activity and excellent selectivity, much higher than that of Pt/CeO2, Pt/La2O3 and Pt/SBA-15. In particular, the TOF of Pt/@-La2O3/SBA-15 reached 2324 h−1, 2.3-fold higher than the atomically dispersed catalyst (Pd1/TiO2, 1002 h−1) in the literature. The superior catalytic performance was attributed to the special structure and the synergistic effect between the Pt nanoparticles and CeO2/SBA-15(La2O3/SBA-15). The content of metal oxide played an important role in the reaction, as only a suitable content of metal oxide could ensure that this hybrid structure would show the best performance.

Highly Active Hydrogenation Catalysts Based on Pd Nanoparticles Dispersed along Hierarchical Porous Silica Covered with Polydopamine as Interfacial Glue

New catalysts based on Pd(0) nanoparticles (Pd NPs) on a bimodal porous silica of the UVM-7/polydopamine (PDA) support have been synthesized following two preparative strategies based on the sequential or joint incorporation of two components of the composite (Pd and PDA). We analyzed the role played by the PDA as ‘interfacial glue’ between the silica scaffold and the Pd NPs. The catalysts were tested for the hydrogenation of 4-nitrophenol using (NEt4)BH4 as the hydrogenating agent. In addition to the palladium content, the characterization of the catalysts at the micro and nanoscale has highlighted the importance of different parameters, such as the size and dispersion of the Pd NPs, as well as their accessibility to the substrate (greater or lesser depending on their entrapment level in the PDA) on the catalytic efficiency. Staged sequential synthesis has led to better catalytic results. The most active Pd(0) centers seem to be Pd NPs of less than 1 nm on the PDA surface. The efficiency of the catalysts obtained is superior to that of similar materials without PDA. A comprehensive comparison has been made with other catalysts based on Pd NPs in a wide variety of supports. The TOF values achieved are among the best described in the literature.

In Situ Raman Monitoring and Manipulating of Interfacial Hydrogen Spillover by Precise Fabrication of Au/TiO2 /Pt Sandwich Structures.

The spillover of hydrogen species and its role in tuning the activity and selectivity in catalytic hydrogenation have been investigated in situ using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) with 10 nm spatial resolution through the precise fabrication of Au/TiO2 /Pt sandwich nanostructures. In situ SERS study reveals that hydrogen species can efficiently spillover at Pt-TiO2 -Au interfaces, and the ultimate spillover distance on TiO2 is about 50 nm. Combining kinetic isotope experiments and density functional theory calculations, it is found that the hydrogen spillover proceeds via the water-assisted cleavage and formation of surface hydrogen-oxygen bond. More importantly, the selectivity in the hydrogenation of the nitro or isocyanide group is manipulated by controlling the hydrogen spillover. This work provides molecular insights to deepen the understanding of hydrogen activation and boosts the design of active and selective catalysts for hydrogenation.

In Situ Raman Monitoring and Manipulating of Interfacial Hydrogen Spillover by Precise Fabrication of Au/TiO2/Pt Sandwich Structures

AbstractThe spillover of hydrogen species and its role in tuning the activity and selectivity in catalytic hydrogenation have been investigated in situ using surface‐enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) with 10 nm spatial resolution through the precise fabrication of Au/TiO2/Pt sandwich nanostructures. In situ SERS study reveals that hydrogen species can efficiently spillover at Pt‐TiO2‐Au interfaces, and the ultimate spillover distance on TiO2 is about 50 nm. Combining kinetic isotope experiments and density functional theory calculations, it is found that the hydrogen spillover proceeds via the water‐assisted cleavage and formation of surface hydrogen–oxygen bond. More importantly, the selectivity in the hydrogenation of the nitro or isocyanide group is manipulated by controlling the hydrogen spillover. This work provides molecular insights to deepen the understanding of hydrogen activation and boosts the design of active and selective catalysts for hydrogenation.

Highly Active Superbulky Alkaline Earth Metal Amide Catalysts for Hydrogenation of Challenging Alkenes and Aromatic Rings.

Two series of bulky alkaline earth (Ae) metal amide complexes have been prepared: Ae[N(TRIP)2]2 (1‐Ae) and Ae[N(TRIP)(DIPP)]2 (2‐Ae) (Ae=Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba; TRIP=SiiPr3, DIPP=2,6‐diisopropylphenyl). While monomeric 1‐Ca was already known, the new complexes have been structurally characterized. Monomers 1‐Ae are highly linear while the monomers 2‐Ae are slightly bent. The bulkier amide complexes 1‐Ae are by far the most active catalysts in alkene hydrogenation with activities increasing from Mg to Ba. Catalyst 1‐Ba can reduce internal alkenes like cyclohexene or 3‐hexene and highly challenging substrates like 1‐Me‐cyclohexene or tetraphenylethylene. It is also active in arene hydrogenation reducing anthracene and naphthalene (even when substituted with an alkyl) as well as biphenyl. Benzene could be reduced to cyclohexane but full conversion was not reached. The first step in catalytic hydrogenation is formation of an (amide)AeH species, which can form larger aggregates. Increasing the bulk of the amide ligand decreases aggregate size but it is unclear what the true catalyst(s) is (are). DFT calculations suggest that amide bulk also has a noticeable influence on the thermodynamics for formation of the (amide)AeH species. Complex 1‐Ba is currently the most powerful Ae metal hydrogenation catalyst. Due to tremendously increased activities in comparison to those of previously reported catalysts, the substrate scope in hydrogenation catalysis could be extended to challenging multi‐substituted unactivated alkenes and even to arenes among which benzene.

Highly Active Superbulky Alkaline Earth Metal Amide Catalysts for Hydrogenation of Challenging Alkenes and Aromatic Rings

AbstractTwo series of bulky alkaline earth (Ae) metal amide complexes have been prepared: Ae[N(TRIP)2]2 (1‐Ae) and Ae[N(TRIP)(DIPP)]2 (2‐Ae) (Ae=Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba; TRIP=SiiPr3, DIPP=2,6‐diisopropylphenyl). While monomeric 1‐Ca was already known, the new complexes have been structurally characterized. Monomers 1‐Ae are highly linear while the monomers 2‐Ae are slightly bent. The bulkier amide complexes 1‐Ae are by far the most active catalysts in alkene hydrogenation with activities increasing from Mg to Ba. Catalyst 1‐Ba can reduce internal alkenes like cyclohexene or 3‐hexene and highly challenging substrates like 1‐Me‐cyclohexene or tetraphenylethylene. It is also active in arene hydrogenation reducing anthracene and naphthalene (even when substituted with an alkyl) as well as biphenyl. Benzene could be reduced to cyclohexane but full conversion was not reached. The first step in catalytic hydrogenation is formation of an (amide)AeH species, which can form larger aggregates. Increasing the bulk of the amide ligand decreases aggregate size but it is unclear what the true catalyst(s) is (are). DFT calculations suggest that amide bulk also has a noticeable influence on the thermodynamics for formation of the (amide)AeH species. Complex 1‐Ba is currently the most powerful Ae metal hydrogenation catalyst. Due to tremendously increased activities in comparison to those of previously reported catalysts, the substrate scope in hydrogenation catalysis could be extended to challenging multi‐substituted unactivated alkenes and even to arenes among which benzene.

Comparative Study of Homogeneous and Silica Immobilized N^N and N^O Palladium(II) Complexes as Catalysts for Hydrogenation of Alkenes, Alkynes and Functionalized Benzenes

This work reports the use of homogeneous and silica immobilized palladium(II) complexes of ligands (2-phenyl-2-((3(triethoxysilyl)propyl)imino)ethanol) (L1), (4-methyl-2-((3(triethoxysilyl)propyl)imino)methyl)phenol) (L2), [L1-MCM-41] (L1im), and [L2-MCM-41] (L2im) as catalysts in molecular hydrogenation of alkenes, alkynes and functionalized benzenes. The homogeneous complexes [Pd(L1)2] (Pd1), [Pd(L2)2] (Pd2), [Pd(L1)(Cl2)] (Pd3), and [Pd(L2)(Cl2)] (Pd4), and their respective silica immobilized complexes [Pd(L1)2]-MCM-41] (Pd1im), [Pd(L2)2)-MCM-4] (Pd2im), [Pd (L1)(Cl2)-MCM-41] (Pd3im) and [Pd(L2)(Cl2)]-MCM-41] (Pd4im) formed active catalysts in the molecular hydrogenation of these substrates. The catalytic activities and product distribution in these reactions were largely dictated by the nature of the substrate. The kinetic studies revealed a pseudo-first order dependence on styrene substrate for both the homogeneous and immobilized catalysts. Significantly, the selectivity of both homogeneous and immobilized catalysts were comparable in the hydrogenation of both alkynes and multi-functionalized benzenes. The supported catalysts could be recycled up to four times with minimum loss of catalytic activity and showed absence of any leaching from hot filtration experiments. Kinetics and poisoning studies established that complexes Pd1–Pd4 were largely homogeneous in nature, while the immobilized complexes Pd1im–Pd4im formed Pd(0) nanoparticles as the main active species.

3D Ruthenium Nanoparticle Covalent Assemblies from Polymantane Ligands for Confined Catalysis

The synthesis of metal nanoparticle (NP) assemblies stabilized by functional molecules is an important research topic in nanoscience, and the ability to control interparticle distances and positions in NP assemblies is one of the major challenges in designing and understanding functional nanostructures. Here, two series of functionalized adamantanes, bis-adamantanes, and diamantanes, bearing carboxylic acid or amine functional groups, were used as building blocks to produce, via a straightforward method, networks of ruthenium NPs. Both the nature of the ligand and the Ru/ligand ratio affect the interparticle distance in the assemblies. The use of 1,3-adamantanedicarboxylic acid allows the synthesis of three-dimensional (3D) networks of 1.7–1.9 nm Ru NPs presenting an interparticle distance of 2.5–2.7 nm. The surface interaction between Ru NPs and the ligands was investigated spectroscopically using a 13C-labeled ligand, as well as theoretically with density functional theory (DFT) calculations. We found that Ru species formed during the NP assembly are able to partially decarbonylate carboxylic acid ligands at room temperature. Decarbonylation of a carboxylic acid at room temperature in the presence of dihydrogen usually occurs on catalysts at much higher temperatures and pressures. This result reveals a very high reactivity of ruthenium species formed during the network assembly. The Ru NP networks were found to be active catalysts for the selective hydrogenation of phenylacetylene, reaching good selectivity toward styrene. Overall, we demonstrated that catalyst activity, selectivity, and NP network stability are significantly affected by Ru NP interparticle distance and electronic ligand effects. As such, these materials constitute a unique set that should allow a better understanding of the complex surface chemistry in carbon-supported metal catalysts.

Ru-ZrO2-SBA-15 as efficient and robust catalyst for the aqueous phase hydrogenation of glucose to sorbitol

The hydrogenation of aqueous solutions of glucose into sorbitol has been tackled in the presence of ruthenium-functionalized catalysts using mesostructured pure-silica SBA-15 and ZrO2-coated SBA-15 materials as supports. The influence of the metal loading and the presence of ZrO2 in the supports on the catalytic activity of these materials have been evaluated. Metal loading is a major factor affecting the dispersion of the ruthenium active phase, but the presence of a zirconia layer onto the catalyst support revealed to be a key parameter to control not only the dispersion of Ru particles, but also their stability. Catalysts characterization and reaction tests to evaluate the catalytic performance of Ru-containing materials evidenced the beneficial influence of ZrO2-containing supports to prevent the agglomeration of Ru nanoparticles during hydrogenation tests, thus leading to more robust catalysts. This work proposes an approach to the preparation of active and stable catalysts for aqueous phase hydrogenation of biomass-derived carbohydrates.