Preparation of self-supported Ni2P via sulfidation–phosphorization of nickel foam as an efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst for the simultaneous oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural and hydrogen evolution

Abstract

The electrocatalytic oxidation of biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and electrochemical hydrogen production represent significant research directions. A self-supported Ni₂P on nickel foam (S-Ni₂P/NF) was synthesized through sulfidation and phosphorization methods. The catalyst demonstrates excellent catalytic activity for the electrocatalytic oxidation of HMF to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), achieving 99% HMF conversion, 98% FDCA yield and 93.8% Faraday efficiency, and also shows high electrochemical hydrogen evolution performance. Notably, S-Ni₂P/NF exhibits high conversion efficiency for HMF-to-FDCA transformation even under low-alkalinity conditions. Furthermore, the catalyst displays excellent stability and enables gram-scale HMF oxidation to FDCA. As a bifunctional catalyst, S-Ni₂P/NF simultaneously facilitates HMF oxidation and hydrogen production. This research expounds the mechanism of sulfidation and phosphorization in the catalytic reaction and provides valuable insights for HMF oxidation under weakly alkaline conditions and gram-scale FDCA production.