Conversion and kinetics study of fructose-to-5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) using sulfonic and ionic liquid groups bi-functionalized mesoporous silica nanoparticles as recyclable solid catalysts in DMSO systems

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles functionalized with both sulfonic acid (HSO3) and ionic liquid (ILs) were synthesized and applied as effective and recyclable catalysts for generating 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from fructose. For the first time a high HMF yield of 72.5% was achieved in DMSO systems under mild conditions (90 degrees C and 3 h). We further studied the kinetics of the fructose-to-HMF conversion and compared the rate constants, reaction orders, and activation energies for the systems with and without bi-functional MSN catalysts.