Abstract
•Heteropolyanion with various cesium content were synthesized and well characterized.•Cesium heteropolyanion salt were functionalized with CuRu nanoparticles and analyzed.•The increase of Cs raises the surface area and lowers the size of nanoparticles.•Catalytic activities of the prepared materials were evaluated in biomass conversion.•The operating conditions (temperature, H2 pressure, reaction time) were optimized.
Mono and bimetallic nanoparticles based on ruthenium or copper–ruthenium with controlled size, supported on heteropolyanion were easily synthesized. The partial exchange of the keggin-type heteropolyacid protons by large monovalent cations such as Cs+ leads to the formation of salts with uniform microcavities and high surface area. Heteropolyanions with various amounts of cesium content were synthesized and their specific surface areas were measured. The solids with high surface area were used as supports and functionalized by copper and ruthenium nanoparticles. CunRum@CsxPW catalysts thus obtained were characterized by various techniques including BET, TEM, XRD, solid state NMR and elemental analysis. Moreover, the effect of Ru loading and Cs content on the distribution of the particle size has been elucidated. Finally, the activities of the catalysts on the direct hydro-conversion of pine wood into liquids suitable for fuel application were evaluated and the influence of the experimental conditions such as temperature, hydrogen pressure, reaction time and the amount of the catalyst has been exemplified.