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, Mn 3 O 4 /CeO 2 heterostructure with Mn 4+ sites have been successfully constructed for efficient HMF oxidation. CeO 2 not only serves as an active center, but also enhances the affinity of reaction intermediates and adjusts the electronic structure of Mn species (Mn 3+ + Ce 4+ ↔ Mn 4+ + Ce 3+ ). More high-valent Mn 4+ /Ce 4+ 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 Mn 4+ for boosting HMF oxidation, which is essential for exploring the efficient catalyst in the field of biomass conversion.