ZIF-67-derived FeCoNi-LDH with a 3D nanoflower hierarchical structure for highly efficient oxidation of 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural and coupling seawater splitting hydrogen production

To achieve clean and sustainable energy development, the thermodynamically favourable electrocatalytic oxidation reaction of biomass derivatives can be combined with electrolysis for hydrogen production. This process simultaneously generates high-value 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid and green energy (i.e., hydrogen). The present thesis focuses on the synthesis of a novel Fe-Co-Ni nanosheet catalyst foam using impregnation methods and one-pot hydrothermal techniques. Subsequently, the 3D nanoflower FeCoNi-S@NF catalysts are subsequently prepared by sulfurizing the FeCoNi-LDH@NF precursors. These catalysts were then employed for electrolytic seawater hydrogen production coupled with the electrocatalytic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMFOR). This strategy is expected to address the slow kinetics of the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). The 3D nanoflower structure of the FeCoNi-S@NF catalyst enhances the exposure of catalytically active sites, while sulfur doping further improves the electron transfer ability. At a low reaction potential of 1.45 V vs. RHE, FeCoNi-S@NF exhibited remarkable performance with a 95.68 % conversion rate for 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), a 94.83 % yield for 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), and a Faraday efficiency of 94.71 %. Furthermore, FeCoNi-S@NF exhibits a remarkable response in terms of hydrogen evolution in seawater. By utilizing HMFOR as the anodic reaction and low-cost seawater as the cathodic electrolyte for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), simultaneous biomass upgrading and hydrogen production can be achieved. Incorporating HMFOR into a two-electrode system for the electrolytic seawater hydrogen production process significantly reduces the needed voltage (1.70 V@10 mA cm−2), thereby potentially decreasing the cost of this process.