Activating Surface Oxygen in Ce/Mo-Doped Ni Oxyhydroxide for Synergistically Enhancing Furfural Oxidation and Hydrogen Evolution at Ampere-Level Current Densities
Graphical Abstract
A Mo/Ce co-doped Ni oxyhydroxide was prepared for the electrochemical oxidation of furfural coupled with hydrogen evolution. Mo promotes the adsorption of furfural while Ce promotes the formation of OOH, and the synergistic effect of Ce and Mo leads to an industrial current density of 1000 mA cm−2 at only 1.46 V versus RHE.
Abstract
The integration of biomass-platform molecule oxidation with water electrolysis is a promising strategy to reduce energy consumption in hydrogen production and obtain high-value chemicals simultaneously, yet the efficiency of organic oxidation requires further improvement. Herein, we developed a highly efficient Ce, Mo co-doped Ni-based (oxy)hydroxide catalyst, where Mo with high spin state promotes the adsorption of furfural (FA), while Ce activates surface lattice oxygen (OL), lowering the energy barrier for OL─OH coupling to form OOH, the key intermediate for high current densities. The catalyst achieves an industrial-grade current density of 1000 mA cm−2 at a remarkably low potential of 1.46 V versus RHE in furfural oxidation, with exceptional selectivity (99.4%) and Faradaic efficiency (97.7%) for furoic acid. When deployed as anode in an anion-exchange membrane reactor, the NiMoCe/NF catalyst sustains a current density of 500 and 1000 mA cm−2 at a cell voltage of only 1.85 and 2.15 V, respectively, surpassing most reported continuous flow electrolyzers limited to 200 mA cm−2. Moreover, the system exhibits outstanding durability after 200 h of continuous operation. This work provides critical insights into the rational design of catalysts for energy-efficient biomass valorization coupled with industrial hydrogen production.
Conflict of Interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Open Research
Data Availability Statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
