Cu₂ P₇ -CoP Heterostructure Nanosheets Enable High-Performance of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Electrooxidation

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Electrooxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is a key sustainable route for value-added chemicals.
• Current electrocatalyst performance for HMF electrooxidation remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a highly efficient electrocatalyst for HMF electrooxidation.
• To investigate the structure-performance relationship of novel heterostructure catalysts.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of Cu2P7-CoP heterostructure nanosheets using a microwave-assisted deep eutectic solvent (DES) approach followed by phosphiding.
• Electrochemical characterization including HMF electrooxidation performance evaluation.
• X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), open-circuit potential (OCP) analysis, and density functional theory (DFT) calculations.

Main Results:

• The Cu2P7-CoP heterostructure nanosheets achieved 100% HMF conversion at 1.43 V (vs. RHE).
• Superior FDCA yield (98.8%) and Faradaic efficiency (FE) (98%) were obtained.
• Electron transfer and redistribution between Cu2P7 and CoP enhanced HMF adsorption and catalytic activity.

Conclusions:

• Cu2P7-CoP heterostructure nanosheets represent a powerful electrocatalyst for HMF electrooxidation.
• The study presents a novel strategy for designing heterostructure catalysts for enhanced electrochemical applications.