Guo Songtao, Ren Junhao, Chang Jiuli, Hou Yan, Ma Xiaoming, Gao Zhiyong
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Province for Green Manufacturing of Fine Chemicals, Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Media and Reactions, Ministry of Education, Henan Normal University, Henan, Xinxiang 453007, PR China.
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Collaborative Innovation Center of Henan Province for Green Manufacturing of Fine Chemicals, Key Laboratory of Green Chemical Media and Reactions, Ministry of Education, Henan Normal University, Henan, Xinxiang 453007, PR China.
J Colloid Interface Sci. 2025 Aug 26;702(Pt 1):138835. doi: 10.1016/j.jcis.2025.138835.
Furfural (FF) is a biomass-derived platform molecule characterized by an aldehyde group attached to a furan ring. The selective electrochemical hydrogenation (ECH) of the aldehyde group into hydroxymethyl offers a sustainable approach for converting FF into valuable furfuryl alcohol (FA) chemical. Efficient catalyst that balances active hydrogen (H*) generation and FF adsorption is crucial for electrochemical FF-to-FA conversion. Herein, a self-supported copper oxide (CuO) with mixed Cu oxidation values was fabricated onto Cu foam substrate (CuO/CF) via facile electrodeposition and was investigated as a catalytic electrode for ECH of FF to FA. Under optimal condition, the electrocatalytic system achieved a maximized faradaic efficiency (FE) of 83 % and a selectivity of 95 % for FA synthesis at a cathodic current density (J) of -20 mA cm. Electrochemical in situ Raman spectroscopy, H* detection, and thiol passivation experiments revealed the ECH pathway for FF conversion. In this progress, the H* generated via water dissociation reacts with adsorbed FF to afford FA with high FE and selectivity over CuO/CF. In situ X-ray diffraction (XRD) characterizations evidenced that the reductive reconstruction of CuO active layer into Cu metal under negative potential, which enhances the generation of H* and facilitates the ECH of adsorbed FF to FA. Furthermore, pairing the cathodic ECH of FF with anodic magnesium (Mg) oxidation reaction constituted a Mg-FF battery, which enabled electricity output at a high power density (3.7 mW cm) during FA electrosynthesis. This work offers essential instruction for electrochemical valorization of biomass-derived FF molecule, and showcases a viable paradigm for construction of metal-organic battery to concurrently generate electricity and value-added chemicals.