Carbon-Based Catalytic Materials for Aerobic Oxidative Transformation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural: Advancements, Challenges, and Opportunities

5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), an attractive biomass-based platform compound, holds significant promise as a renewable resource for the production of diverse value-added chemicals. Of particular interest is the selective oxidation of HMF, which enables the production of valuable compounds such as 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF), 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), and furan-2,5-dimethylcarboxylate (FDMC). Carbon-based catalytic materials have been recognized as highly effective carriers or catalysts in organic conversions, with their catalytic activity being easily modulated through compositional and structural modifications. This comprehensive review aims to provide a summary of recent advancements in utilizing carbon-based materials for the aerobic oxidation of HMF into DFF, FDCA, and FDMC in the past five years. Additionally, an outlook is presented to identify the challenges and opportunities in this fascinating and vital research domain.