High-silica faujasite zeolite-tailored metal encapsulation for the low-temperature production of pentanoic biofuels

Zeolite-encapsulated metal nanoclusters are at the heart of bifunctional catalysts, which hold great potential for petrochemical conversion and the emerging sustainable biorefineries. Nevertheless, efficient encapsulation of metal nanoclusters into a high-silica zeolite Y in particular with good structural integrity still remains a significant challenge. Herein, we have constructed Ru nanoclusters (∼1 nm) encapsulated inside a high-silica zeolite Y (SY) with a SiO₂/Al₂O₃ ratio (SAR) of 10 via a cooperative strategy for direct zeolite synthesis and a consecutive impregnation for metal encapsulation. Compared with the benchmark Ru/H-USY and other analogues, the as-prepared Ru/H-SY markedly boosts the yields of pentanoic biofuels and stability in the direct hydrodeoxygenation of biomass-derived levulinate even at a mild temperature of 180 °C, which are attributed to the notable stabilization of transition states by the enhanced acid accessibility and properly sized constraints of zeolite cavities owing to the good structural integrity.