Publication date: 15th May 2025
Electrochemical valorization of biomass-derived substrates has become a prominent area of research due to its potential to produce value-added products from renewable feedstocks in a more sustainable way. First-row transition metal electrodes are compelling candidates for these conversions due to their stability, abundance, and cost-effectiveness. Herein, we report on the non-aqueous colloidal synthesis of MnxZn1-xO (x=0.3-0.7) nanoparticles and their electrocatalytic activity towards furfural oxidation. The targeted composition range expands beyond previously explored dilute regimes. We find that the hindrance of a MnO impurity can be achieved by leveraging the oxidation state of the Mn precursor. The MnxZn1-xO composition closely follows the ratio of precursors, with all the nanoparticles having a wurtzite structure as determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), respectively. X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) revealed the presence of Mn in different oxidation states with the ratio of these varying based on the composition. When comparing the electrocatalytic activity of the binary (ZnO/MnO) and ternary oxides for furfural oxidation via linear sweep voltammetry, a decrease in current density was observed as the Zn content increased. We find the MnxZn1-xO nanoparticles favor the formation of the 6 e- oxidation product 5-hydroxy-2(5H)-furanone, while both binary oxides show CO2 and other deeply oxidized products as the majority. The findings of this study can contribute towards the design and synthesis of more active and selective electrocatalyst.
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