Strong metal-support interaction between AuPd nanoparticles and oxygen-rich defect ZrO2 for enhanced catalytic 5-hydroxymethylfurfural oxidation

The unique properties of metal oxide surfaces, crystal surfaces and defects play vital roles in biomass upgrading reactions. In this work, hierarchical porous bowl-shaped ZrO2 (HB-ZrO2) with mixed crystal phase was designed and employed as the support for loading AuPd bimetal with different proportions to synthesize AuPd/HB-ZrO2 catalysts. The effects of surface chemistry, oxygen defects, bimetal interaction and metal-support interaction of AuPd/HB-ZrO2 on catalytic performance for the selective oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) were systematically investigated. The Au2Pd1/HB-ZrO2 catalyst afforded a satisfactory FDCA yield of 99.9% from HMF oxidation using O2 as the oxidant in water, accompanied with an excellent FDCA productivity at 97.6 mmol g−1 h−1. This work offers fresh insights into rationally designing efficient catalysts with oxygen-rich defects for the catalytic upgrading of biomass platform chemicals.