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Amidst concerns over fossil fuel dependency and environmental sustainability, the utilization of biomass‐derived aromatic compounds emerges as a viable solution across diverse industries. In this scheme, the conversion of biomass involves pyrolysis, followed by a hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) step to reduce the oxygen content of pyrolysis oils and stabilize the end products including aromatics. In this study, we explored the properties of size controlled NiCu bimetallic catalysts supported on ordered mesoporous silica (SBA‐15) for the catalytic gas‐phase HDO of m‐cresol, a lignin model compound. We compared their performances with monometallic Ni and Cu catalysts. The prepared catalysts contained varying Ni to Cu ratios and featured an average particle size of approximately 2 nm. The catalytic tests revealed that the introduction of Cu alongside Ni enhanced the selectivity for the direct deoxygenation (DDO) pathway, yielding toluene as the primary product. Optimal performance was observed with a catalyst composition comprising 5 wt.% Ni and 5 wr.% Cu, achieving 85 % selectivity to toluene. Further increasing the Cu content improved turnover frequency (TOF) values, but reduced DDO selectivity. These findings underscore the importance of catalyst design in facilitating biomass‐derived compound transformations and offer insights into optimizing catalyst composition for more selective HDO reactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lanthanum orthoferrite, a highly potential 3‐way catalyst, shaped as a polycrystalline thin film has been comprehensively analysed by combining bulk and surface characterization techniques. The possibility to accomplish unprecedented surface information has been presented, thanks to the combined use of LEIS, XPS, and ToF‐SIMS. The structural, morphological, and surface properties at nanometric scale make such thin films indistinguishable from powdered solids. Thus, the relevance of using such model materials for advanced surface investigations of LaFeO3±δ‐based 3‐way catalysts has been demonstrated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the characterization of nanostructured Pt-doped CeO2 films with low platinum content and porous structure is reported, deposited on silicon substrate by direct liquid injection chemical vapor deposition. The platinum localization and concentration in the nanocomposite are determined by scanning transmission electron microscopy associated with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. Films are made of ≈3 nm diameter CeO2 particles and platinum is homogeneously dispersed through the layers. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) also shows that platinum is mainly in an ionic Pt2+ state. After diffusion through the preformed porous structure of ceria films, the platinum precursor decomposes at the surface of each ceria particle forming the films, producing a homogeneous platinum-doped CeO2 nanocomposite. This result is supported by synchrotron radiation XPS experiment, where the measured relative Pt concentration demonstrates that platinum is decomposed only at the surface of ceria particles. Finally, when the saturation of Pt2+ sites at the surface of ceria particles is reached, metallic nanoclusters are formed from platinum excess. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]