Non Noble-Metal Copper-Cobalt Bimetallic Catalyst for Efficient Catalysis of the Hydrogenolysis of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-Dimethylfuran under Mild Conditions

The efficient catalysis of the hydrogenation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) over non noble-metal catalysts has received great attention in recent years. However, the reaction usually requires harsh conditions, such as high reaction temperature and excessively long reaction time, which limits the application of the non noble-metal catalysts. In this work, a bimetallic Cox-Cu@C catalyst was prepared via the pyrolysis of MOFs, and an 85% DMF yield was achieved under a reaction temperature and time of 160 degrees C and 3 h, respectively. The results of X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) mapping, and other characterization techniques showed that the synthesis method in this paper realized the in situ loading of cobalt into the copper catalyst. The reaction mechanism studies revealed that the cobalt doping effectively enhanced the hydrogenation activity of the copper-based catalyst on the C-O bond at a low temperature. Moreover, the bimetallic Co-x-Cu@C catalyst exhibited superior reusability without any loss in the activity when subjected to five testing rounds.

Automated summary

A bimetallic Co-x-Cu@C catalyst with efficient hydrogenation activity for converting HMF to DMF was prepared, showing enhanced catalytic performance due to cobalt doping on the copper-based catalyst. The in situ loading of cobalt into the catalyst realized through the synthesis method in this study demonstrated excellent reusability without any loss in activity after five testing rounds.