NaOH-assisted synthesis of N-doped carbon-encapsulated trimetallic CoNiZnO@NC catalyst for efficient selective hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol

Carbon-encapsulated multimetal catalysts enhance performance, but achieving uniform metal nanoparticle distribution is challenging. This study presents a NaOH-assisted self-assembly method to synthesize N-doped porous carbon-encapsulated trimetallic catalysts using low-cost feedstock. The key innovation is promoting melamine hydrolysis to cyanuric acid, leading to in-situ self-assembly with melamine and saccharate-metal ion complexation, forming metal-containing supramolecular aggregates. These serve as stable precursors for pyrolysis, facilitating effective metal encapsulation. The synergy among Co, Ni, and Zn enhances catalytic performance. The optimal catalyst CoNiZnO@NC-600 shows high furfural (FAL) conversion (98.4%) and furfuryl alcohol (FOL) selectivity (99%) with excellent cycling stability, offering a new approach for biomass-derived compound hydrogenation.