Kinetic Insights into a Surface-Designed Au1@Pt8/CeO2 Catalyst in the Base-Free Oxidation of Biomass-Derived Tetrahydrofuran-2,5-dimethanol

Oxidizing alcohols to carboxylic acids presents the challenge of preserving reactivity and selectivity and minimizing alkali additives, necessitating precision construction of the catalytic surface to guide selective oxidation behavior. In this study, we designed core–shell structured catalysts with controllably tunable surface components for highly efficient oxidation of biomass-derived tetrahydrofuran-2,5-dimethanol (THFDM) to tetrahydrofuran-2,5-dicarboxylic acid under base-free conditions, offering a potential alternative to petro-based 1,4-cyclohexanedicarboxylic acid. The optimized Au1@Pt8/CeO2 catalyst breaks the constraints arising from intertwined electronic and geometric structures, achieving a desirable balance between activity and selectivity. More importantly, kinetic analysis and Langmuir–Hinshelwood (L–H) modeling demonstrate enhanced adsorption of both THFDM and oxygen, subsequently altering the rate-determining step.