Efficient Electrochemical Hydrogenation of Biomass within Consecutive Nanoconfined Channels of MXene-Based Electrified Membrane Electrodes

Electrocatalytic hydrogenation (ECH) of biomass has emerged as an alternative technology for the green synthesis of valuable chemicals. Nevertheless, the advancement of ECH technology has been significantly impeded by challenges pertaining to electrode activity, selectivity, mass transfer efficiency, etc. In this study, we have successfully developed Ti3C2Tx-MXene species that are suitable for ECH applications and proposed strategies to unlock their ECH performance using wrinkle engineering and electrified membrane (EM) techniques. Specifically, the incorporation of wrinkle architecture within the Ti3C2Tx-MXene nanosheets can enhance the accessibility of active sites in the assembled lamellar membrane electrodes as well as their mass transfer, particularly when utilized as the EM electrodes in the filtration mode. In circumstances where the operating conditions are optimal (voltage, flux, concentration, etc.), the wrinkled Ti3C2Tx EM electrodes with consecutive nanoconfined channels demonstrate exceptional ECH performance in the conversion of furfural to furfuryl alcohol, achieving a high conversion rate of 96.8%, a selectivity of 92.1%, and a Faradaic efficiency of 81.5%. In addition to their excellent catalytic stability, such Ti3C2Tx-MXene EM electrodes also exhibit significant electrocatalytic activity toward other aldehyde-involved biomasses, indicating their wide applicability in the ECH field. This work not only confirms the feasibility of Ti3C2Tx-MXene as a catalytic electrode for ECH but also demonstrates the advantages of wrinkle engineering and EM technology in enhancing its performance, opening up opportunities for advancing the in-depth research of the MXene family materials in electrochemistry.