Mn4+sites induced in Mn3O4/CeO2 heterostrucure for boosting oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

Electrocatalytic oxidation of biomass derivative 5-Hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to produce 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA) is a promising strategy to promote the utilization of renewable energy resource. However, the intrinsic activity of catalysts is still limited by the insufficient configuration of electronic structure. In this work, Mn3O4/CeO2 heterostructure with Mn4+ sites have been successfully constructed for efficient HMF oxidation. CeO2 not only serves as an active center, but also enhances the affinity of reaction intermediates and adjusts the electronic structure of Mn species (Mn3+ + Ce4+ <-> Mn4+ + Ce3+). More high-valent Mn4+/Ce4+ sites have been exposed through the electrochemical reconstruction, contributing to 97.95 % FDCA yield and 97.77 % Faraday efficiency (FE) (0.8 V vs Ag/AgCl). Therefore, this work provides a new insight of Mn4+ for boosting HMF oxidation, which is essential for exploring the efficient catalyst in the field of biomass conversion.