Photocatalytic Oxidation of HMF under Solar Irradiation: Coupling of Microemulsion and Lyophilization to Obtain Innovative TiO2-Based Materials
The photocatalytic oxidation of biomass-derived building blocks such as 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a promising reaction for obtaining valuable chemicals and the efficient long-term storage of solar radiation. In this work, we developed innovative TiO2-based materials capable of base-free HMF p...
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Published in | Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 25; no. 22; p. 5225 |
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Main Authors | , , , , , , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
MDPI
10.11.2020
MDPI AG |
Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | The photocatalytic oxidation of biomass-derived building blocks such as 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a promising reaction for obtaining valuable chemicals and the efficient long-term storage of solar radiation. In this work, we developed innovative TiO2-based materials capable of base-free HMF photo-oxidation in water using simulated solar irradiation. The materials were prepared by combining microemulsion and spray-freeze drying (SFD), resulting in highly porous systems with a large surface area. The effect of titania/silica composition and the presence of gold-copper alloy nanoparticles on the properties of materials as well as photocatalytic performance were evaluated. Among the lab-synthesized photocatalysts, Ti15Si85 SFD and Au3Cu1/Ti15Si85 SFD achieved the higher conversions, while the best selectivity was observed for Au3Cu1/Ti15Si85 SFD. The tests with radical scavengers for both TiO2-m and Au3Cu1/Ti15Si85 SFD suggested that primary species responsible for the selective photo-oxidation of HMF are photo-generated electrons and/or superoxide radicals. |
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ISSN: | 1420-3049 1420-3049 |
DOI: | 10.3390/molecules25225225 |