Nickel Sulfide Nanorods Encapsulated in Nitrogen-Doped Carbon on Nickel Foam in Situ Derived from Saccharomycetes Cerevisiae for the Selective Oxidation of Biomass

Abstract

The design and development of an efficient catalyst for the electrocatalytic oxidation reaction of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) require a novel, cost-effective, environmentally friendly, and safe preparation method. In this study, we synthesized nickel sulfide nanorods encapsulated by nitrogen-doped carbon on a nickel foam substrate (Ni3S2@NC/NF), derived in situ from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The utilization of a gas-phase route facilitated the binding of C, N and S elements to the NF substrate. The resulting Ni3S2@NC/NF catalyst exhibited excellent electrocatalytic performance in the HMF oxidation reaction (HMFOR), achieving a complete conversion of HMF, a selectivity of 95.6% for 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid, and a Faraday efficiency of 88.9% at a potential of 1.45 V. Moreover, in situ electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed an enhanced charge transfer rate for the Ni3S2@NC/NF catalyst during the interfacial HMFOR. Additionally, the catalyst demonstrated outstanding stability after five cycles of electrolysis. Therefore, this work provides a valuable guide for using microorganisms as sources of C, N, and S in the targeted synthesis of metallic electrocatalysts.

Keywords: electrocatalysis, 5-hydroxymethylfurfural, 2, 5-furandicarboxylic acid, Saccharomycetes cerevisiae, Ni3S2@NC/NF