Achieving effective fructose-to-5-hydroxymethylfurfural conversion via facile synthesis of large surface phosphate-functionalized porous organic polymers

Efficient conversion of fructose to 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is a key step for producing fuels and value-added chemicals from carbohydrates. Here, we report for the first time the applicability of phosphate-functionalized porous organic polymers (POPs) as a catalyst for fructose conversion. Two catalysts, B-POP and P-POP, were synthesized via a simple one-pot reaction and B-POP showed high surface area (1193 m(2) g(-1)) and high mesoporosity (54.7 %) with 1.7 mmol g(-1) of phosphate groups available as surface acid sites. The catalytic activity of the phosphate functionalized POPs was investigated using different solvents, and B-POP yielded 100 % fructose conversion with 85 % HMF selectivity within 30 min (equivalent to a turnover frequency of 32.2 h(-1) , the highest activity among other previously reported acid-based heterogeneous catalysts) when DMSO/1,4-dioxane dual solvent medium was used at 130 degrees C. These results suggested that phosphate group-functionalized POPs can be promising heterogeneous catalysts for producing biobased platform chemicals from renewable resources.