Classical strong metal–support interactions (SMSI), which play a crucial role in the preparation of supported metal nanoparticle catalysts, is one of the most important concepts in heterogeneous catalysis. The conventional wisdom for construction of classical SMSI involves in redox treatments at high-temperatures by molecular oxygen or hydrogen, sometimes causing sintered metal nanoparticles before SMSI formation. Herein, we report that the aforementioned issue can be effectively avoided by a wet-chemistry methodology. As a typical example, we demonstrate a new concept of wet-chemistry SMSI (wcSMSI) that can be constructed on titania-supported Au nanoparticles (Au/TiO2-wcSMSI), where the key is to employ a redox interaction between Auδ+ and Ti3+ precursors in aqueous solution. The wcSMSI is evidenced by covering Au nanoparticles with the TiO x overlayer, electronic interaction between Au and TiO2, and suppression of CO adsorption on Au nanoparticles. Owing to the wcSMSI, the Au–TiO x interface with an improved redox property is favorable for oxygen activation, accelerating CO oxidation. In addition, the oxide overlayer efficiently stabilizes the Au nanoparticles, achieving sinter-resistant Au/TiO2-wcSMSI catalyst in CO oxidation.

Hard core: A hybrid catalyst system for dehydrogenation of ethylbenzene comprises nanoparticles consisting of nanodiamond cores and highly curved, defective graphene shells (see picture). The system exhibits high catalytic activity and selectivity over a long period of time. In contrast to industrial K‐promoted Fe catalysts, steam decoking of the catalyst is not required.

This work delineates the first example for controlling product selectivity in metal-catalyzed hydrogenation of biomass by zeolite crystals. The key to this success is to combine the advantages of both Pd nanoparticles (highly active sites) and zeolite micropores (controllable diffusion of reactants and products), which was achieved from encapsulation of the Pd nanoparticles inside of silicalite-I zeolite crystals as a core-shell structure (Pd@S-1). In the hydrogenation of biomass-derived furfural, the furan selectivity over the Pd@S-1 is as high as 98.7%, outperforming the furan selectivity (5.6%) over conventional Pd nanoparticles impregnated with S-1 zeolite crystals (Pd/S-1). The extraordinary furan selectivity in the hydrogenation over the Pd@S-1 is reasonably attributed to the distinguishable mass transfer of the hydrogenated products in the zeolite micropores.