Although producing 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF) from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is an attractive way to synthesize renewable fuels, achieving high yields for this reaction has proved difficult. PtCo bimetallic nanoparticle catalysts embedded in hollow carbon nanospheres now show improved catalytic performance for the hydrogenolysis of HMF to DMF (98% yield after 2 hours).
Platinum–cobalt bimetallic nanoparticles in hollow carbon nanospheres for hydrogenolysis of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural