Synthesis of a ZIF-derived hollow yolk–shell Co@CN catalyst for the oxidative esterification of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

Abstract

A newly developed template protection-sacrifice (TPS) strategy is developed for the synthesis of hollow yolk–shell Co@CN with a large surface area and high pore volume. The catalyst exhibits excellent catalytic efficiency in base-free oxidative esterification of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural under mild conditions with excellent selectivity at a high concentration (2 M) of the reactant.