Aerobic Oxidation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural over Ag Nanoparticle Catalysts Stabilized by Polyvinylpyrrolidone with Different Molecular Weights

The metal–support interaction (MSI) has a remarkable effect on the catalytic properties, but how to precisely modulate its degree remains a huge challenge. Herein, polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) with three different molecular weights (MWs) (24, 58, and 130 kDa) was used as a capping agent to fabricate Ag nanoparticles (NPs) supported on ZrO(2). The physiochemical properties of the catalysts were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) techniques. The impacts of MSI on the catalytic activity and reaction kinetics for aerobic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) were investigated. The results showed that the introduction of PVP with various MWs could efficiently tailor the interfacial interactions and charge transfers (CT) among PVP, the support, and Ag NPs, thereby affecting the oxidation activity of HMF. The turnover number (TON) for HMF oxidation decreases in the order of unsupported colloidal Ag clusters > Ag/ZrO(2) (58,000) > Ag/ZrO(2) (130,000) > Ag/ZrO(2) (24,000) > Ag/ZrO(2). The reason for this large difference in the catalytic activity for HMF oxidation is that various MWs of PVP result in a change of MSI, thereby facilitating CT from PVP to Ag metal sites. This study offers a new strategy for modulating MSI by varying the MW of capping agents, thereby tuning the catalytic properties in the oxidation of HMF.