Critical role of the support in the aqueous hydrogenation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan over Pt-based catalysts

Catalytic performances of supported metal catalysts are highly affected or even dominated by supports. Here, the manganese oxide octahedral molecular sieves (OMS-2) supported Pt nanoparticles (Pt/OMS-2) show specific selectivity in the hydrogenation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF) in liquid water, without ring-hydrogenation or ring-opening, even under harsh conditions. a 97.6 ± 2.1 % yield of BHMF was obtained over Pt/OMS-2 within 2 h at 30 °C and 1.5 MPa H 2 . This specific selectivity was attributed to a vertical adsorption model of BHMF at the interface, where an O atom and H atom of hydroxyl attached to the Mn and O 2− sites. The hydrogenation of the C O bond followed hydroxy routes through a water-mediated mechanism. Specifically, a water molecule facilitated the transfer of hydrogen atoms between the carbonyl group and the Pt surface, with the cleavage of O H bonds being a key step in the overall process.