A nitrogen-doped PtSn nanocatalyst supported on hollow silica spheres for acetic acid hydrogenation

A novel PtSn/NHSS bimetallic catalyst with N-doped hollow silica spheres as the support was synthesized for the gas-phase hydrogenation of acetic acid to ethanol. Its specific activity was 30% higher than that of PtSn/SiO2 due to the enhanced surface exposure of Pt active sites, induced by the strong interaction between Pt and N.