Electrocatalytic Conversion of Glucose into Renewable Formic Acid Using "Electron-Withdrawing" MoO₃ Support under...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Electrocatalysis offers a sustainable route for converting biomass into valuable chemicals.
• Transition metal hydroxides are promising catalysts for electrochemical biomass conversion.
• Optimizing catalyst activity is crucial for efficient biomass conversion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance the electrocatalytic activity of nickel hydroxide for glucose oxidation.
• To develop a novel catalyst for efficient formic acid production from glucose.
• To investigate the effect of electron-withdrawing supports on nickel-based catalysts.

Main Methods:

• Deposition of nickel hydroxide (Ni(OH)2) onto an electron-withdrawing molybdenum trioxide (MoO3-x) support.
• Electrocatalytic oxidation of glucose using the synthesized Ni(OH)2/MoO3-x catalyst.
• Characterization of catalyst performance, including yield and Faraday efficiency for formic acid production.

Main Results:

• The Ni(OH)2/MoO3-x catalyst demonstrated significantly improved electrocatalytic activity for glucose oxidation compared to conventional β-Ni(OH)2.
• Simultaneous facilitation of active site formation (NiOOH) and glucose adsorption was observed.
• Remarkable yield (≈90.5%) and Faraday efficiency (≈98%) for formic acid production were achieved.

Conclusions:

• The rational design of Ni(OH)2/MoO3-x provides a novel strategy for efficient formic acid production from glucose.
• Reducing electron density at Ni active sites via electron-withdrawing supports enhances electrocatalytic performance.
• This work offers valuable insights into optimizing electrocatalytic oxidation of biomass-derived substrates.