Electron Structure Tuned Oxygen Vacancy-Rich AuPd/CeO₂ for Enhancing 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Oxidation

The design of high activity catalyst for the efficiently conversion of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) gains great interest. The rationally tailoring of electronic structure directly affects the interaction between catalysts and organic substrates, especially molecular oxygen as the oxidant. This work, the bimetallic catalysts AuPd/CeO₂ were prepared by the combining method of chemical reduction and photo-deposition, effectively concerting charge between Au and Pd and forming the electron-rich state of Au. The increasing of oxygen vacancy concentration of CeO₂ by acidic treatment can facilitate the adsorption of HMF for catalysts and enhance the yield of FDCA (99.0 %). Moreover, a series of experiment results combining with density functional theory calculation illustrated that the oxidation performance of catalyst in HMF conversion was strongly related to the electronic state of interfacial Au-Pd-CeO₂. Furthermore, the electron-rich state sites strengthen the adsorption and activation of molecular oxygen, greatly promoting the elimination of β-hydride for the selective oxidation of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furancarboxylic acid (HMFCA) to FDCA, accompanied with an outgoing FDCA formation rate of 13.21 mmol ⋅ g^-1 ⋅ min^-1 at 80 °C. The perception exhibited in this research could be benefit to understanding the effects of electronic state for interfacial sites and designing excellent catalysts for the oxidation of HMF.