Highly efficient catalytic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid using bimetallic Pt-Cu alloy nanoparticles as catalysts.

Bimetallic platinum-copper alloy nanoparticles are highly active catalysts for the oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) under base-free conditions, with a high turnover frequency of up to 135 h -1 in aqueous solution. The Pt-Cu 1.5 /AC alloyed catalyst promoted the rate-determining step in the tandem oxidation compared with the monometallic Pt/AC catalyst, thus improving the catalytic performance.