Catalytic Hydrodeoxygenation of Phenolic Compounds Over Ni 2 P Particles Embedded in Dendritic Mesoporous Silica Nanospheres

ABSTRACT Catalytic hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) plays a vital role in upgrading pyrolysis oil derived from renewable biomass, yet developing highly active non‐noble metal catalysts remains a challenge. Herein, we report a novel Al‐modified Ni 2 P‐based catalyst with three‐dimensional dendritic mesoporous structure (Ni 2 P/Al‐DMSN‐ x , x = 40, 20, 10, where x represents the atomic ratio of Si/Al). These Ni 2 P‐based catalysts were comprehensively characterized and evaluated in the HDO of multiple phenolic compounds. Results showed that the Ni 2 P/Al‐DMSN‐20 exhibits outstanding catalytic performance, achieving complete conversion of m ‐cresol with exceptionally high selectivity toward methylcyclohexane. Furthermore, Ni 2 P/Al‐DMSN‐20 exhibited constantly fantastic activity without obvious deactivation over five consecutive recycling runs under condition of 250°C for 60 min. The excellent stability of Ni 2 P/Al‐DMSN‐20 was assigned to unique dendritic pore structure, which features large pore size and short diffusion pathway that facilitate mass transfer and enhance accessibility between reactants and active sites. Additionally, the modification of Al enables adjustable acidity, which is crucial for the cleavage of C─O bond in oxygenated compounds.