Hard-template preparation of Au/CeO2 mesostructured catalysts and their activity for the selective oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid

•CeO2 with high surface area and a controlled morphology has been prepared by nanocasting using SBA-15 as template.•Gold–support interaction is crucial for favoring catalytic activity.•The fine tuning of the silica template removal process leads to the optimization of HMF oxidation to FDCA.

Ordered mesoporous CeO2 has been prepared via a hard-template method using SBA-15 as a structure-directing agent. Leaching with NaOH and thermal treatment at 500 °C enabled the removal of the inorganic template, thus resulting in the formation of long-range ordered CeO2. Nevertheless, small amounts of silica were present in the final oxides. The resulting CeO2 samples were used as supports for Au nanoparticles and the prepared catalysts were tested in the selective oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). Fine tuning of the silica template removal process was necessary to prepare active materials, by maximizing the close contact between the metal and the support, and thus confirming the important role of ceria defects in 5-hydroxymethylfurfural oxidation to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid.

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