Overall

Language: English

Conflict of Interest: In relation to this article, we declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Publication history: Received April 29, 2026
Accepted June 11, 2026
Available online October 25, 2026

This is an Open-Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/bync/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Most Cited

Efficient Hydrogenation Catalysis over Ru Nanoparticles: Investigating the Support Effects of Ultrasonic Spray Pyrolysis–Derived Al2O3, TiO2, ZrO2, and SiO2

Toan Minh Pham Jeonghun Han Hyeonjung Kim¹ Jonghee Han^1† Jinsoo Kim^†

Department of Chemical Engineering (Integrated Engineering), Kyung Hee University ¹Institute of Hydrogen Energy, Korea Institute of Energy Technology (KENTECH),

jhan@kentech.ac.kr, jkim21@khu.ac.kr

Korean Journal of Chemical Engineering, October 2026, 43(12), 3431-3442(12)
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11814-026-00775-3

Abstract

Liquid organic hydrogen carriers (LOHCs) have emerged as promising media for hydrogen storage and transport owing to

their high hydrogen content and compatibility with existing infrastructure. However, the catalytic efficiency of Ru-based

catalysts in LOHC hydrogenation is strongly influenced by the properties of their support materials, which remain insufficiently

explored. In this study, Ru nanoparticles were supported on four different metal oxides (Al2O3, TiO2, ZrO2, and

SiO2) synthesized via a combined sol–gel and ultrasonic spray pyrolysis (USP) process, providing continuous processes

amenable to large-scale production. The resulting metal oxide supports exhibited diverse physicochemical characteristics,

including variations in surface area, surface hydroxyl group concentration, and metal–support interaction strength. The

Ru-supported catalysts were systematically evaluated for the hydrogenation of monobenzyl toluene (MBT), a model

LOHC compound. Catalytic activity followed the trend: Ru/Al2O3>Ru/TiO2>Ru/SiO2>Ru/ZrO2. The findings reveal

that MBT hydrogenation performance is governed by the synergistic interplay of multiple support characteristics rather

than any single factor. This work provides an informative direction for the rational design of high-performance LOHC

hydrogenation catalysts.

Keywords

LOHC · Hydrogenation · Ultrasonic spray pyrolysis · Support materials · Ru catalysts