Confining redox-active metal sites in acidic porous scaffolds for the catalytic transformation of lignin-derived phenols to naphthenes.

The hydrodeoxygenation transformation of lignin-derived phenols provides an attractive pathway for the production of renewable biofuels; however, harsh process conditions strongly hinder its practical application. Herein, we report a porous metal silicate (PMS) material, PMS-36, which consists of metallic nickel and Lewis acid Al III sites inside the pores, demonstrating high efficiency in catalyzing the hydrodeoxygenation transformation of guaiacol under mild conditions. PMS-36 also exhibits robust stability, which can be attributed to the strong interaction and charge transfer between metallic Ni and Al III Lewis acid sites inside the confined pores. This study shows the importance of synergistic and confinement effects in developing high-performance and stable heterogeneous catalysts for the chemical transformation of biomass and its derivatives.