Platinum–Copper Dual‐Atom Catalyst Enables the Selective Electro‐Oxidation of 5‐Hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5‐Furandicarboxylic Acid

ABSTRACT The electrochemical hydroxymethylfurfural oxidation reaction (HMFOR) has emerged as a sustainable strategy for producing high‐value chemicals, yet achieving high product selectivity remains a key challenge. Herein, we report the electrochemical conversion of HMF into 2,5‐furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) under alkaline conditions over a catalyst with a high density of Pt–Cu dual‐atom sites supported on N,S‐doped carbon nanosheets (Pt–Cu high /NSC). At a low Pt loading of 0.74 wt.%, the Pt–Cu high /NSC catalyst demonstrates excellent HMFOR activity in 0.1 M KOH, including a low activation potential (0.98 V), high current output (1006.4 mA mg − 1 at 1.42 V), excellent FDCA selectivity (97.4%), high Faradaic efficiency (97.6%), and long‐term operational stability. These metrics surpass most previously reported catalyst systems. In comparison, a monometallic catalyst with only Cu single atom sites (Cu/NSC) showed low selectivity towards FDCA during HMFOR, instead favouring the production of 5‐formyl‐2‐furancarboxylic (FFCA, 81.6% yield). A Pt/NSC catalyst showed negligible activity for HMFOR. Experimental data and theoretical calculations for Pt–Cu high /NSC reveal that Pt sites facilitate OH − adsorption, which in turn promotes deeper oxidation of FFCA on adjacent Cu sites. This study encourages the wider pursuit of dual‐atom catalysts (DACs) for the HMFOR and other challenging electrochemical syntheses.