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Preparation of Ru/Graphene using Glucose as Carbon Source and Hydrogenation of Levulinic Acid to γ‐Valerolactone
Author(s) -
Wu Lingqiao,
Song Jinliang,
Zhou Baowen,
Wu Tianbin,
Jiang Tao,
Han Buxing
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
chemistry – an asian journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.18
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1861-471X
pISSN - 1861-4728
DOI - 10.1002/asia.201600453
Subject(s) - graphene , levulinic acid , catalysis , materials science , raman spectroscopy , carbon fibers , chemical engineering , nanotechnology , chemistry , organic chemistry , composite number , composite material , optics , physics , engineering
The preparation of functional materials and value‐added chemicals using biomass‐derived feedstocks is an interesting topic. Herein, we propose a method to prepare Ru/graphene catalyst using glucose as the carbon source. The catalyst was characterized by scanning and transmission electron microscopies, Raman and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopies, and X‐ray diffraction. It was found that Ru particles of 2–6 nm were supported uniformly on high‐quality graphene. The performance of the Ru/graphene for hydrogenation of levulinic acid to γ‐valerolactone was studied. The Ru/graphene had much higher activity for the hydrogenation reaction than commercial Ru/C, and was active even at room temperature. The high activity was partially due to the unique structure of graphene, which resulted in an electron‐enriched Ru nanocatalyst. In addition, the Ru/graphene could be reused at least four times without considerable decrease in activity, indicating the excellent stability of the catalyst under our conditions.