Conversion and kinetics study of fructose-to-5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) using sulfonic and ionic liquid groups bi-functionalized mesoporous silicananoparticles as recyclable solid catalysts in DMSO systems

Abstract

Mesoporous silica nanoparticles functionalized with both sulfonic acid (HSO₃) and ionic liquid (ILs) were synthesized and applied as effective and recyclable catalysts for generating 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) from fructose. For the first time a high HMF yield of 72.5% was achieved in DMSO systems under mild conditions (90 °C and 3 h). We further studied the kinetics of the fructose-to-HMF conversion and compared the rate constants, reaction orders, and activation energies for the systems with and without bi-functional MSN catalysts.