Grass-like NixSey nanowire arrays shelled with NiFe LDH nanosheets as a 3D hierarchical core–shell electrocatalyst for efficient upgrading of biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and furfural

Abstract

Electrocatalytic upgrading of biomass represents a promising way for the green synthesis of value-added fine chemicals. Rational construction of highly active and low-cost electrocatalysts with superior durability is of great importance for promoting this electrochemical process. In this work, we reported a novel 3D hierarchical Ni_xSe_y–NiFe layered double hydroxide (LDH) core–shell nanostructure in situ grown on Ni foam (Ni_xSe_y–NiFe@NF) for efficient electrocatalytic oxidation of biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) and furfural (FUR) to furoic acid (FurAc), respectively. By virtue of the excellent electrical conductivity and good mechanical strength of the Ni_xSe_y nanowire core, abundant exposed active sites of the NiFe LDH nanosheet shell, and the open structure of the hierarchical nanoarrays, the integrated core–shell Ni_xSe_y–NiFe LDH@NF electrode exhibited outstanding catalytic performance for HMF and FUR oxidation by obtaining considerable yields of FDCA (99.3%) and FurAc (99.7%) with high faradaic efficiency (FE) for FDCA (98.9%) and FurAc (99.5%), as well as superior stability retaining 96.7% FE for FDCA and 97.1% FE for FurAc after six successive electrolysis cycles. This work offers an effective approach to engineer novel electrocatalysts towards efficient upgrading of biomass-derived platform chemicals.