Development of ordered mesoporous carbon-based electrodes for the electrocatalytic oxidation of furfural

The electrocatalytic valorization of furfural, a key biomass-derived platform molecule, offers a sustainable pathway for the synthesis of value-added chemicals under mild conditions. In this study, we report the development and application of nanostructured carbon-based electrodes, synthesized via a hard templating approach using SBA-15 silica and carbon precursors (furfuryl alcohol, FA, and glycerol, GLY), for the electro-oxidation of furfural. The resulting ordered mesoporous carbons (OMC_FA and OMC_GLY), along with a gold nanoparticle-decorated variant (Au@OMC_GLY), were thoroughly characterized by XRD, N₂ physisorption, SEM-EDX, and Raman spectroscopy to elucidate their structural, textural, and electrochemical properties. Electrochemical performance was evaluated in a microflow cell under acidic and alkaline conditions, with 0.25 M HClO₄ as the optimized electrolyte for selective conversion. Among the tested electrodes, OMC_GLY exhibits the highest Faradaic efficiency (83%) towards 5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone (5-HFN), outperforming both the benchmark reduced graphene oxide and the Au-modified OMC_GLY, the latter favoring maleic acid formation at higher potentials. Structure-activity relationships suggest that enhanced surface area, pore structure, and graphitic character of OMC_GLY synergistically contribute to its superior catalytic behavior. These findings demonstrate the potential of tailored mesoporous carbon architectures as efficient and sustainable electrocatalysts for biomass upgrading.