Scalable Cu-CoO_x Electrode for 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Electrooxidation to 2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid at >100 A

Abstract

Biomass conversion to building blocks powered by renewable electricity offers a promising route toward low-carbon plastics, as exemplified by the electrooxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). However, this field is limited by a scalable electrocatalyst that can be operated at a large current. Here, we report a facile and scalable Cu-Co bimetal oxide (Cu-CoO_x) electrocatalyst for efficient HMF oxidation. Comprehensive studies reveal that Cu promotes hydroxyl adsorption to form Co(OH)₂ and converts to CoO_x(OH)_yvia electrooxidation. The Cu-CoO_x catalyst was evaluated in a continuous-flow reactor with 200 cm² of electrode area, achieving high Faradaic efficiency (92.49%) and selectivity (ca. 89%) toward FDCA at large operation currents (40–200 A). Moreover, this reactor was operated at 100 A for more than 100 h, reaching high single-pass conversion efficiency (96.5%) and FDCA selectivity (95.5%). This work provides a foundation for the development of stable and large-area electrodes to enable scalable FDCA electrosynthesis.

Keywords

Bimetal oxide / Cu-doped CoO_x / 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural electrooxidation / 2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid / Solid polymer electrolyte reactor

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Jilin University, The Editorial Department of Chemical Research in Chinese Universities and Springer-Verlag GmbH