CeO2 facet-directed interfacial engineering in Ru1/CeO2 catalysts for efficient 2-butanol production from levulinic acid

Shaohua Zhang; Fusen Liu; Yuqi Zhang; Wenguang Zhou; Lungang Chen; Yong Liu

doi:10.59717/j.xinn-energy.2026.100156

The Innovation Energy > 2026 Vol. 3 > No. 2 > 100156

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CeO₂ facet-directed interfacial engineering in Ru₁/CeO₂ catalysts for efficient 2-butanol production from levulinic acid

1.
School of Resources & Environment and Key Laboratory of Poyang Lake Environment and Resource Utilization, Ministry of Education, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330047, China
2.
School of Physics and Materials Science, Nanchang University, Nanchang 330047, China
3.
Key Laboratory of Energy Thermal Conversion and Control of Ministry of Education, School of Energy and Environment, Southeast University, Nanjing 210096, China

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Corresponding authors: liuyongncu@ncu.edu.cn (Yong Liu); chenlg@seu.edu.cn (Lungang Chen)
Received Date: February 24, 2026

Accepted Date: April 13, 2026

Published Online: April 20, 2026

The Innovation Energy 3(2), https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-energy.2026.100156 | Cite this article

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PUBLIC SUMMARY

PUBLIC SUMMARY
1. Facet-engineered CeO₂ supports tune single-atom Ru catalysts for biomass conversion.
  
  Ru₁/CeO₂-C achieves 86.9% yield of 2-butanol with high catalytic activity.
  
  (100) facets create more oxygen vacancies and stronger metal–support interactions.
  
  Enhanced hydrogen transfer and C–C cleavage improve reaction efficiency.
  
  Provides a strategy to design high-performance catalysts for biomass upgrading.

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT

Optimizing the selectivity of biomass-derived platform chemicals requires precise control over the geometric and electronic structures of catalytic active sites. Herein, we report the structural engineering of single-atom ruthenium (Ru₁) supported on ceria (CeO₂) nanocrystals with distinct crystal facets to regulate the hydrodeoxygenation of levulinic acid to 2-butanol. Using a facile photodeposition method, Ru₁ species were anchored onto cubic (CeO₂-C, exposing (1 0 0) facets) and sheet-like (CeO₂-S, exposing (1 1 1) facets) supports. The Ru₁CeO₂-C catalyst exhibited superior catalytic performance, achieving an 86.9% yield of 2-butanol at 190 °C with a turnover frequency value of 157 s^-1, surpassing the Ru₁CeO₂-S catalyst (53.5% and 111 s^-1). Comprehensive characterization, including XPS, Raman spectroscopy, and EPR, revealed that the (1 0 0) facets of CeO₂-C facilitate a higher concentration of surface oxygen vacancies and foster the electronic metal-support interaction. This interaction stabilizes Ru species and promotes the formation of Lewis acid sites, which are critical for the ring-opening of the key intermediate, γ-valerolactone. Kinetic studies, in situ DRIFTS, and theoretical calculations further confirmed that the facet-dependent electronic structure of Ru₁CeO₂-C significantly enhances hydrogen transfer capabilities and C-C bond cleavage efficiency. This work elucidates the structure-activity relationship in single-atom catalysis and offers a facet-engineering strategy for designing efficient biomass conversion catalysts.
- photodeposition /
- ceria facet /
- electronic metal-support interaction /
- levulinic acid /
- 2-butanol

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Zhang S., Liu F., Zhang Y., et al. (2026). CeO2 facet-directed interfacial engineering in Ru1/CeO2 catalysts for efficient 2-butanol production from levulinic acid. The Innovation Energy 3:100156. https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-energy.2026.100156

Zhang S., Liu F., Zhang Y., et al. (2026). CeO₂ facet-directed interfacial engineering in Ru₁/CeO₂ catalysts for efficient 2-butanol production from levulinic acid. The Innovation Energy 3:100156. https://doi.org/10.59717/j.xinn-energy.2026.100156

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CeO₂ facet-directed interfacial engineering in Ru₁/CeO₂ catalysts for efficient 2-butanol production from levulinic acid

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