Effect of Ni(NO₃)₂ Precursor Concentration on Electrodeposited NiMn Electrocatalysts for HMF Oxidation to DFF

This study aims to develop a Ni–Mn bimetallic electrocatalyst for the selective oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF) via electrodeposition. The NiMn electrocatalyst was synthesized by varying precursor concentrations to tune its structural and electrochemical properties. The results show that an optimal concentration produces a highly crystalline NiMn structure with improved electrochemical performance. The optimized catalyst achieves 98.8% selectivity and 8.5% yield for DFF at 1.75 V vs. RHE over 6 hours, while simultaneously enabling hydrogen evolution at the cathode, demonstrating efficient biomass upgrading with value-added hydrogen production.