Nanoporous Copper Catalysts for the Fluidized Electrocatalytic Hydrogenation of Furfural to Furfuryl Alcohol

Electrocatalytic hydrogenation is an efficient and environmentally friendly way to convert biomass derivatives into high-value-added chemicals and biofuels, although in most cases, the Faraday efficiency (FE) is low. Herein, Cu electrocatalysts with a bicontinuous nanoporous structure and high specific surface area were fabricated by chemical dealloying of CuAl alloy. For the electrocatalytic hydrogenation of furfural to furfuryl alcohol, as a biomass-derived platform molecule reaction, the nanoporous Cu (NP-Cu) exhibited excellent selectivity and high Faraday efficiency by fluidized electrocatalysis. Compared with a commercial Cu sheet electrode, the selectivity of furfuryl alcohol increased from 22 to 96%, and FE increased from 17 to 95%, respectively. The selectivity and FE of Cu nanoparticles for furfuryl alcohol were only about 44% under the same conditions as NP-Cu. It was indicated that the NP-Cu with a high specific surface area provided enough hydrogen adsorption sites (Hads), leading to the enhancement of electrocatalytic hydrogenation and reduction of electrocondensation in the fluidization. Meanwhile, the hydrogen evolution as a side reaction was also restrained under a relatively low potential. These provide important basis and reference for the development of nanoporous catalysts and electrocatalytic conversion of biomass.