Tuning the Selective Adsorption Site of Biomass on Co₃ O₄ by Ir Single Atoms for Electrosynthesis

The electrosynthesis from 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) is considered a green strategy to achieve biomass-derived high-value chemicals. As the molecular structure of HMF is relatively complicated, understanding the HMF adsorption/catalysis behavior on electrocatalysts is vital for biomass-based electrosynthesis. The electrocatalysis behavior can be modulated by tuning the adsorption energy of the reactive molecules. In this work, the HMF adsorption behavior on spinel oxide, Co₃ O₄ is discovered. Correspondingly, the adsorption energy of HMF on Co₃ O₄ is successfully tuned by decorating with single-atom Ir. It is observed that compared with bare Co₃ O₄ , single-atom-Ir-loaded Co₃ O₄ (Ir-Co₃ O₄ ) can enhance adsorption with the CC groups of HMF. The synergetic adsorption can enhance the overall conversion of HMF on electrocatalysts. With the modulated HMF adsorption, the as-designed Ir-Co₃ O₄ exhibits a record performance (with an onset potential of 1.15 V_RHE ) for the electrosynthesis from HMF.