A metal-free, high nitrogen-doped nanoporous graphitic carbon catalyst for an effective aerobic HMF-to-FDCA conversionElectronic supplementary information (ESI) available: Details of the Experimental section, characterization of catalysts, and supplementary results. See DOI: 10.1039/c6gc02118b

We report a metal-free catalysis of the aerobic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acids (FDCA), employing zeolitic-imidazole framework (ZIF-8) derived, nitrogen-doped nanoporous carbon (denoted as NNC) as an effective heterogeneous catalyst. The effect of high graphitic nitrogen loading in the NNC on the catalytic production of FDCA was demonstrated and discussed. Nanoporous carbon nanoparticles with high graphitic nitrogen amounts were synthesized and used as a metal free catalyst for effective HMF-to-FDCA conversion.