Smart “Amphibious” Catalyst-Mediated Oxidative Valorization of Biobased Furans by Photothermal Relay Catalysis

Catalytic transformation of biomass resources to synthesize valuable bulk chemicals is of significance to cope with the energy crisis and realize green and sustainable chemical production. In this work, an efficient and selective production of maleic anhydride (MAN) from biomass is achieved by tandem photothermal relay catalysis with a metal–organic framework (MOF) as heterogeneous catalyst. Therein, the biobased furoic acid (FAC) and furfuryl alcohol (FAL) were first transformed to 5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone (5-HFO) with the visible light, and then 5-HFO could be further selectively converted to produce MAN at a thermal condition using the same catalyst. Typically, a 99.0% conversion and 95.3% selectivity of 5-HFO are attained with the V-TCPP [a MOF that consists of metal V and meso-tetra(4-carboxyphenyl) porphine] catalyst under natural light irradiation. Meanwhile, a 99.0% conversion of 5-HFO and 90.6% yield of MAN can be obtained under thermal promotion of V-TCPP catalyst. Further research indicates that the remarkable activation performance of the V-TCPP catalyst to molecular oxygen is the key in the reaction.