Electrochemical biomass valorization on gold-metal oxide nanoscale heterojunctions enables investigation of both catalyst and reaction dynamics with operando surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy.

ABSTRACT: The electrochemical oxidation of biomass platforms such as 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to value-added chemicals is an emerging clean energy technology. However, mechanistic knowledge of this reaction in an electrochemical context is still lacking and operando studies are even more rare. In this work, we utilize core-shell gold-metal oxide nanostructures which enable operando surface-enhanced Raman spectroelectrochemical studies to simultaneously visualize catalyst material transformation and surface reaction intermediates under an applied voltage. As a case study, we show how the transformation of NiOOH from ∼1-2 nm amorphous Ni layers facilitates the onset of HMF oxidation to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), which is attained with 99% faradaic efficiency in 1 M KOH. In c

SUBMITTER: Heidary N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7053505 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature