Ce-Doped Aluminum Catalysts with Adsorption Capabilities for Efficient HMF Oxidation Reactions

The electrocatalytic conversion of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-furan dicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is of great significance for the sustainable production of value-added chemicals. However, most studies on the oxidation of HMF focus on enhancing the catalytic reaction of the oxidation process, with less attention paid to the adsorption behavior of HMF on the catalyst. In this work, Ce-doped Al(OH) 3 (Ce–Al(OH) 3 ) was successfully fabricated by electrodeposition, and its desirable adsorption ability for the HMF molecule enabled the efficient production of FDCA. At a theoretical charge of 231.6C, the Faradaic efficiency (FE) and yield of FDCA of Ce–Al(OH) 3 reached 97.42% and 96.32% (1.5 V vs RHE), respectively, with an HMF conversion of 98.04%. Furthermore, even after 90 days, the HMF oxidation reaction still exhibited excellent retention. Therefore, this study explored a catalyst with an enhanced adsorption function, providing a new approach for establishing biomass conversion systems.