Scalable Cu-CoOx Electrode for 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Electrooxidation to 2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid at >100 A

doi:10.1007/s40242-026-6054-8

Chemical Research in Chinese Universities ›› 2026, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (3): 822-830.doi: 10.1007/s40242-026-6054-8

• Research Articles • Previous Articles Next Articles

Scalable Cu-CoO_x Electrode for 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Electrooxidation to 2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid at >100 A

REN Yue¹, MIAO Yuhang¹, REN Qinghui², WANG Shen³, ZHANG Liyi³, LI Ling³, PAN Dengke³, ZHOU Hua^1,2, SHAO Mingfei^1,2

1. State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, College of Chemistry, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, 100029, P. R. China;
2. Quzhou Institute for Innovation in Resource Chemical Engineering, Quzhou, 324000, P. R. China;
3. China National Chemical Engineering & Construction Corporation Seven Ltd., Chengdu, 610100, P. R. China

Received:2026-02-28 Accepted:2026-03-17 Published:2026-06-02
Contact: SHAO Mingfei,E-mail:shaomf@buct.edu.cn;ZHOU Hua,E-mail:hzhou@buct.edu.cn;PAN Dengke,E-mail:dkpan@163.com E-mail:shaomf@buct.edu.cn;hzhou@buct.edu.cn;dkpan@163.com
Supported by:
This work was supported by the Advanced Materials-National Science and Technology Major Project, China (No. 2025ZD0614502), the National Key R&D Program of China (Nos. 2023YFA1507400, 2023YFA1507403), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 22288102, 22478017, 22308015).

Abstract

Abstract: Biomass conversion to building blocks powered by renewable electricity offers a promising route toward low-carbon plastics, as exemplified by the electrooxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). However, this field is limited by a scalable electrocatalyst that can be operated at a large current. Here, we report a facile and scalable Cu-Co bimetal oxide (Cu-CoO_x) electrocatalyst for efficient HMF oxidation. Comprehensive studies reveal that Cu promotes hydroxyl adsorption to form Co(OH)₂ and converts to CoO_x(OH)_y via electrooxidation. The Cu-CoO_x catalyst was evaluated in a continuous-flow reactor with 200 cm² of electrode area, achieving high Faradaic efficiency (92.49%) and selectivity (ca. 89%) toward FDCA at large operation currents (40–200 A). Moreover, this reactor was operated at 100 A for more than 100 h, reaching high single-pass conversion efficiency (96.5%) and FDCA selectivity (95.5%). This work provides a foundation for the development of stable and large-area electrodes to enable scalable FDCA electrosynthesis.

Key words: Bimetal oxide, Cu-doped CoO_x, 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural electrooxidation, 2,5-Furandicarboxylic acid, Solid polymer electrolyte reactor

REN Yue, MIAO Yuhang, REN Qinghui, WANG Shen, ZHANG Liyi, LI Ling, PAN Dengke, ZHOU Hua, SHAO Mingfei. Scalable Cu-CoO_x Electrode for 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Electrooxidation to 2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid at >100 A[J]. Chemical Research in Chinese Universities, 2026, 42(3): 822-830.

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Scalable Cu-CoO_x Electrode for 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural Electrooxidation to 2,5-Furandicarboxylic Acid at >100 A

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