In situ construction of hierarchical Ag-decorated Cu nanowire arrays as an efficient and durable electrocatalyst for hydrogenation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and furfural

Abstract

Electrochemical hydrogenation of biomass-furan derivatives to produce high-value-added fine chemicals has been regarded as a green and sustainable route since it uses water as the hydrogen source instead of extra H2 and can proceed in ambient conditions. The key to improve electrocatalytic efficiency is developing capable and stable electrocatalysts based on advanced design. In this work, a novel hierarchical structure of Ag-decorated Cu nanowire arrays was in-situ synthesized on Cu foam (Ag@Cu NWAs/CF) for electrochemical hydrogenation of biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and furfural (FUR) to 2,5-bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF) and furfuryl alcohol (FAL), respectively. By owning a large electrochemically active surface area, efficient electronic transmission network, open and sturdy structure, and synergic combination of Cu and Ag active sites, the electrode shows outstanding electrochemical hydrogenation performance for HMF and FUR by achieving above 95% selectivity and faradaic efficiency (FE) of BHMF and FAL, and maintaining above 92% FE towards BHMF and FAL after six electrolysis cycles. Based on the optimization of reaction conditions and investigation of relationship between catalyst structure and performance, reaction mechanism of this system was further elucidated for efficient and sustainable conversion of biomass-derived furan compounds to value-added fine chemicals.