Ag substituted Au clusters supported on Mg-Al-hydrotalcite for highly efficient base-free aerobic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid

A highly active and selective Au 20 Ag/MgAl-300 catalyst was developed for HMF oxidation to FDCA under base-free reaction conditions using molecular oxygen as the oxidant, with high conversion of HMF (100%) and high yield of FDCA (>95%).