Interfacial coupling effect promotes selective electrocatalytic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural into the value-added products under neutral conditions

Owing to the sluggish reaction kinetics, it is a promising yet challenging task to achieve the adequate electricity-driven catalytic oxidation of biomass-derived 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) in neutral conditions. Herein, we have prepared an elelctrocatalyst with interfacial coupling effect through in-situ growth of Cu phthalocyanine (CuPc) on Co₃O₄ spinel (Co₃O₄/CuPc), which constructs an effective electrocatalytic system of HMF oxidation with overall oxidation value-added products yield and total Faraday efficiency up to 80% and 70%, respectively. The interfacial coupling effect between CuPc and Co₃O₄ spinel improve catalytic activity by effectively boosting the interfacial charge transfer and reducing the formation energy of key *C₆H₃O₄ in the catalytic pathway according to the in situ Raman spectroscopy and DFT simulation. This work illustrates the significance of interfacial coupling effect for developing highly efficient electrocatalysts applied for neutral system of biomass oxidation. © 2023 Elsevier Inc.