Engineering the Solid-Liquid Interface of Carbon Electrodes for Enhanced Organic Electrosynthesis

Electrosynthesis provides a sustainable, energy-efficient platform for valorizing biomass-derived chemicals under mild and environmentally benign conditions. However, its industrial deployment remains limited by low reaction rates and productivity, often constrained by conventional two-dimensional electrodes. Here, we engineer a porous carbon felt cathode to enhance productivity in electrochemical flow reactors for the hydrogenation of cis,cis-muconic acid, a renewable platform diacid key to biobased nylon production. By precisely tuning the surface functionality and hydrophilicity of the carbon felt, we enhance adsorption and charge transfer kinetics at the solid-liquid interface, achieving a 30-fold increase in productivity and a 45% reduction in cell potential at an industrially relevant current density of 200 mA cm^-2. These findings underscore the transformative opportunities of engineered carbon electrodes for advancing scalable and sustainable electrosynthesis of commodity and specialty chemicals.