A Facile Synthesis Route to AuPd Alloys for the Selective Oxidation of 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5‐Furandicarboxylic Acid

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Synthesis of 2,5‐furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) can be achieved via catalytic oxidation of 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (5‐HMF), in which both base and catalyst play important roles. This work presents the development of a simple synthesis method (based on a commercial parent 10 wt.% Pd/C catalyst) to prepare the bimetallic AuPd alloy catalysts (i. e., AuPd/C) for selective 5‐HMF oxidation to FDCA. When using the strong base of NaOH, Pd and Au cooperate to promote FDCA formation when deployed either separately (as a physical mixture of the monometallic Au/C and Pd/C catalysts) or ideally alloyed (AuPd/C), with complete 5‐HMF conversion and FDCA yields of 66 % vs 77 %, respectively. However, NaOH also promoted the formation of undesired by‐products, leading to poor mass balances (<81 %). Comparatively, under weak base conditions (using NaHCO 3 ), an increase in Au loading in the AuPd/C catalysts enhances 5‐HMF conversion and FDCA productivity (due to the enhanced carbonyl oxidation capacity) which coincides with a superior mass balances of >97 %. Yet, the excessive Pd content in the AuPd/C catalysts was not beneficial in promoting FDCA formation.