The amorphous NiP nanoparticles were synthesized and a novel amorphous NiP/H beta catalyst was prepared successfully further. Due to the superior surface property of amorphous NiP/H beta catalyst, it exhibited good catalytic application for n-hexane isomerization. The catalytic activity of amorphous NiP/H beta catalyst was close to that of the prepared Pt/H beta sample, and better than that of commercial catalyst and crystalline Ni2P/H beta catalyst. What's more, the amorphous NiP/H beta catalyst shows high resistance to different sulfur compounds and water on account of its unique surface property. The effect of loading amounts on surface property and catalytic performance was investigated, and the structure-function relationship among them was studied ulteriorly. The results demonstrate that loading amounts have effect on textural property and surface acid property, which further affect the catalytic performance. The 10 wt.% NiP/H beta sample has appropriate pore structure and acid property with uniformly dispersed NiP nanoparticles on surface, which is helpful for providing suitable synergistic effect. The effects of reaction conditions on surface reactions and the mechanism for n-hexane isomerization were investigated further. Based on these results, the amorphous NiP/H beta catalyst with superior surface property probably pavesa way to overcome the drawbacks of traditional noble metal catalyst, which shows good catalytic application prospects. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.