A Bifunctional Ni3P/γ-Al2O3 Catalyst Prepared by Electroless Plating for the Hydrodeoxygenation of Phenol

Abstract A bifunctional Ni3P/γ-Al2O3 catalyst was prepared by an electroless plating method and characterized by XRD, XPS, N2 adsorption-desorption, ICP, TEM, CO chemisorption, NH3-TPD, and Py-FTIR. To improve the dispersion of Ni3P on γ-Al2O3, highly dispersed nickel aluminum oxide hydrate was deposited on γ-Al2O3 by a deposition-precipitation procedure. The resulting Ni3P nanoparticles (∼3.8 nm) were homogeneously dispersed on γ-Al2O3. The Ni3P/γ-Al2O3 catalyst exhibited a high performance in the hydrodeoxygenation of phenol, in which both hydrogenation and dehydration were involved. The Ni3P/γ-Al2O3 was remarkably stable both in catalytic performance and in structure during a 100-h run.