Thermoresponsive block copolymer supported Pt nanocatalysts for base-free aerobic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural

Abstract

A base-free catalytic system for the aerobic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural was exploited by using Pt nanoparticles immobilized onto a thermoresponsive poly(acrylamide-co-acrylonitrile)-b-poly(N-vinylimidazole) block copolymer, with an upper critical solution temperature of about 45 °C. The Pt nanocatalysts were well-dispersed and highly active for the base-free oxidation of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural by molecular oxygen in water, affording high yields of 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (up to>99.9%). The imidazole groups in the block copolymer were conducive to the improvement of catalytic performance. Moreover, the catalysts could be easily separated and recovered based on their thermosensitivity by cooling the reaction system below the upper critical solution temperature. Good stability and reusability were observed over these copolymer-immobilized catalysts with no obvious decrease in catalytic activity in the five consecutive cycles.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

aerobic oxidation / base-free / 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural / Pt nanoparticle / thermoresponsive block copolymer

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Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 21203102), the Nankai University & Cangzhou Bohai New Area Institute of Green Chemical Engineering Fund (Grant No. NCC2020PY02), the Tianjin Municipal Natural Science Foundation (Grant No. 17JCYBJC22600), the Innovative Team Project of Ministry of Education of China (IRT13R30), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.

Electronic Supplementary Material

Supplementary material is available in the online version of this article at https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11705-021-2092-4 and is accessible for authorized users.

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