Tuning spatially proximal Cu⁺ and Cu0 species via phyllosilicate coordination engineering for hydrogen-free upgrading of fatty acid methyl esters to fatty alcohols

Abstract

Hydrogen-free upgrading of fatty acid methyl esters (FAMEs) to fatty alcohols offers a sustainable alternative to conventional hydrogenation but is limited by the inability to control metal speciation and interfacial acidity under catalytic transfer hydrogenation (CTH) conditions. A copper phyllosilicate (CuPS) is presented in which Cu loading (20-35 wt.%) regulates the distribution of octahedral and square-planar Cu2+ species within the phyllosilicate structure, thereby governing reduction pathways, Cu+/Cu0 speciation, and surface acidity. Structural and in situ spectroscopic analyses (XRD, N2 physisorption, TEM, and in situ TR-XANES) show that octahedral Cu2+ species embedded in Cu-O-Si layers preferentially generate and stabilize Cu+ sites upon reduction, whereas square-planar Cu2+ species favor Cu0 formation and particle growth. This coordination-dependent reducibility establishes a direct link between CuPS precursor structure and the resulting Cu+/Cu0 ensemble and acid properties. As a result, 25CuPS, which maximizes retained octahedral Cu2+, forms the most effective spatially proximal Cu⁺ and Cu0 species, providing the highest Lewis acidity with suppressed Brønsted acidity and delivering the highest hexadecanol yield and methyl palmitate conversion. The catalytic behavior is consistent with cooperative ester activation on Cu+ sites and H-transfer from iso-propanol on adjacent Cu0 sites via a Meerwein-Ponndorf-Verley-type pathway. At higher Cu loadings, increased Cu0 domain growth and interfacial Brønsted acidity promote competing reactions and reduce alcohol selectivity. This work establishes coordination-controlled copper speciation as a materials design principle for hydrogen-free upgrading of biomass-derived esters.