A dual-functional Bi-doped Co3O4 nanosheet array towards high efficiency 5-hydroxymethylfurfural oxidation and hydrogen production

Here, we report that a Bi-doped Co3O4 nanosheet array grown on Ni foam can selectively catalyze HMF-to-FDCA oxidation at ambient conditions. The catalyst shows a faradaic efficiency of 97.7%, a yield rate of 362.5 μmol h-1, and a conversion of nearly 100%, surpassing those of pristine Co3O4. Furthermore, when the catalyst was adopted as both the anode and cathode in a two-electrode system, H2 and FDCA can be produced simultaneously.