Green Synthesis of Acid‐Base Bi‐functional UiO‐66‐Type Metal‐Organic Frameworks Membranes Supported on Polyurethane Foam for Glucose Conversion

Abstract We herein report a green (aqueous solutions), mild (90 °C, atmospheric pressure), and scalable modulated hydrothermal (MHT) synthesis of acid‐base bi‐functional UiO‐66‐type metal‐organic frameworks membranes supported on polyurethane. Polyurethane foam was first modified with polydopamine (PDA) to obtain versatile carrier, i. e., PU@PDA. Then the novel acid‐base bi‐functional UiO‐66‐type MOFs membranes have been prepared on PU@PDA for the first time by in situ MHT method. By simply varying the ratio of organic ligands of monosodium 2‐sulfoterephthalate and 2‐aminoterephthalic for preparing MOFs membranes, the acidity and basicity of obtained composites, i. e., UiO‐66‐SO 3 H‐NH 2 /PDA@PU can be easily adjusted. The synthesized materials were well characterized and their catalytic performances were evaluated in one‐pot glucose to 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) conversion. Results revealed the acid‐base bi‐functional catalyst possessing high activity and excellent stability. This work provides a general and economically viable approach for the large‐scale synthesis of water‐stable MOFs membranes catalysts with repeatable quality remains the key step for their massive production and commercialization.