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Copper–Zinc Alloy Nanopowder: A Robust Precious‐Metal‐Free Catalyst for the Conversion of 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural
Author(s) -
Bottari Giovanni,
Kumalaputri Angela J.,
Krawczyk Krzysztof K.,
Feringa Ben L.,
Heeres Hero J.,
Barta Katalin
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
chemsuschem
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.412
H-Index - 157
eISSN - 1864-564X
pISSN - 1864-5631
DOI - 10.1002/cssc.201403453
Subject(s) - catalysis , copper , zinc , yield (engineering) , noble metal , furan , materials science , chemical engineering , chemistry , metal , alloy , organic chemistry , metallurgy , engineering
Noble‐metal‐free copper–zinc nanoalloy (<150 nm) is found to be uniquely suited for the highly selective catalytic conversion of 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to potential biofuels or chemical building blocks. Clean mixtures of 2,5‐dimethylfuran (DMF) and 2,5‐dimethyltetrahydrofuran (DMTHF) with combined product yields up to 97 % were obtained at 200–220 °C using 20–30 bar H 2 . It is also possible to convert 10 wt % HMF solutions in CPME, with an excellent DMF yield of 90 %. Milder temperatures favor selective (95 %) formation of 2,5‐furandimethanol (FDM). The one‐pot conversion of fructose to valuable furan‐ethers was also explored. Recycling experiments for DMF production show remarkable catalyst stability. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) characterization provides more insight into morphological changes of this intriguing class of materials during catalysis.