Preparation of Metal‐Supported Nanostructured Zeolite Catalysts and their Applications in the Upgrading of Biomass‐Derived Furans: Advances and Prospects

Abstract The development of platform chemicals derived from biomass, in particular, 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (5‐HMF) and furfural (FUR), is of crucial importance in biorefinery. Over the past decades, metal‐supported nanostructured zeolites, in particular, metal‐supported hierarchically porous zeolites or metal‐encapsulated zeolites, have been extensively elaborated because of their multiple functionalities and superior properties, for example, shape‐selectivity, (hydro)thermal stability, tunable acidity and basicity, redox properties, improved diffusion, and intimacy of multiple active sites. In this review, the effects of such properties of metal‐supported nanostructured zeolites on the enhanced catalytic performances in furanic compound upgrading are discussed. In addition, the recent rational design of metal‐supported nanostructured zeolites is exemplified. Consequently, the ongoing challenges for further developing metal‐supported nanostructured zeolites‐based catalysts and their applications in HMF and FUR upgrading are identified.