Reduction of 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5‐bis(hydroxymethyl)Furan at High Current Density Using a Ga‐doped AgCu:Cationomer Hybrid Electrocatalyst

Abstract Hydrogenation of biomass‐derived chemicals is of interest for the production of biofuels and valorized chemicals. Thermochemical processes for biomass reduction typically employ hydrogen as the reductant at elevated temperatures and pressures. Here we investigate direct electrified reduction of 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to a precursor to bio‐polymers, 2,5‐bis(hydroxymethyl)furan (BHMF). Noting a limited current density in prior reports of this transformation, we investigated the use of a hybrid catalyst consisting of ternary metal nanodendrites mixed with a cationic ionomer, the latter purposed to increase local pH and facilitate surface proton diffusion. We found that the approach, when implemented using Ga‐doped Ag‐Cu electrocatalysts designed for p‐d orbital hybridization, steered selectivity to BHMF, achieving a faradaic efficiency of 58% at 100 mA/cm 2 and a production rate of 1 mmol/cm 2 /h, this latter a doubling in rate compared to the best prior reports. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved