The excellent catalyst support of Al2O3 fibers with needle-like mullite structure and HMF oxidation into FDCA over CuO/Al2O3 fibers

Abstract Al 2 O 3 fibers, especially with unique morphology and structure, are a fascinating class of ceramics that have been widely used as catalyst supports. In this work, smooth, porous and needle-like Al 2 O 3 fibers are successfully prepared by electro-blowing spinning (EBS) method. Effects of calcination temperature, calcination rate and pore forming agent content (Polytetrafluoroethylene, PTFE) on the morphology and structure of Al 2 O 3 fibers are systematically studied. Most importantly, Al 2 O 3 fibers with different morphologies are particular suitable to be used as CuO supports for selective oxidation of 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). Benefiting from the unique structure, FDCA synthesis over the needle-like CuO/Al 2 O 3 fibers achieves 98.6% yield, which is much higher than the yields over smooth and porous CuO/Al 2 O 3 fibers. Moreover, the fiber catalysts could be easily recovered and reused without the loss of its activity. It is anticipated that Al 2 O 3 fibers with needle-like mullite will shed some light on the development of profiled ceramic fibers for various applications.