%0 Journal Article 
%A Tabet-Zatla, Chaima Z.
%A Bedrane, Sumeya
%A Calvino Gámez, José Juan
%A Cauqui López, Miguel Ángel
%A Dergal, Fayçal
%A Ziani-Cherif, Chewki
%A Hernández Garrido, Juan Carlos
%T Single-Atom and Sub-Nano Ruthenium Cluster Catalysts—Application to Biomass Upgrading into Biofuel Additive
%D 2025
%@ 2073-4344
%U http://hdl.handle.net/10498/37975
%X Sub-nano metal clusters have important physicochemical features that lead to
a wide range of applications. Herein, we point out an unfailing reproducible protocol to
synthesize ruthenium single-atom catalysts and ultra-small clusters supported on various silica–alumina mixed oxides. The catalysts were synthesized via a dendrimer-free,
sonication-assisted route, with ruthenium loadings up to 2 wt%. Raman spectroscopy
mapping revealed a wide coverage of the materials’ surfaces by ruthenium, while HAADFSTEM evidenced that 100% of the ruthenium was at the sub-nano scale, with up to 74%
of the single atoms and metal clusters having an average size between 0.3 and 0.7 nm,
independently of the support or the metal’s loading. These materials exhibited highly
selective size-dependent catalytic performances in upgrading biomass-derived furfural
into transportation biofuel additive 2,2′
-difurfurylether, with turnover frequencies up to
1148 h−1
. Ruthenium single atoms and sub-nano clusters showed an exceptional resistance
to sintering, with a size variation of ±0.1 nm before and after reaction, and no metal
leaching was observed.
%K single atom
%K sub-nano
%K synthesis route
%K furfural
%K biomass upgrading
%K 2,2′-difurfurylether
%K no sintering
%~ Universidad de Cádiz