Efficient Degradation of Cellulose in Its Homogeneously Aqueous Solution over 3D Metal-Organic Framework/Graphene Hydrogel Catalyst

Catalytic degradation of cellulose to chemicals is an attracting topic today for the conversion of biomass, and the development of novel catalysts is a key point. Since metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) possess uniform, continuous, and permeable channels, they are valuable candidate as catalysts. Here, a new 3D MOF/graphene catalyst was prepared by in situ growth of the zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF-8) nanoparticles inside the pore of an as-formed 3D reduced graphene oxide (rGO) hydrogel. The ZIF-8/rGO nanocomposite owns both micropores and mesopores with large specific surface area and plenty of acids sites, which is an idea catalyst for biomass degradation. Cellulose was dissolved in alkaline aqueous solution at first, and then it was degraded efficiently over the new catalyst under hydrothermal condition. The conversion reaches 100% while the main products are formic acid with a maximum yield of 93.66%. In addition, the catalyst can be reused with high activity.