Research progress on 5-hydroxymethylfurfural electrocatalytic or photocatalytic oxidation coupling with hydrogen production

Biomass and hydrogen serve as crucial alternatives to fossil fuels, addressing climate change and the shortage of fossil fuels. Hydrogen offers high energy density and emits no carbon, while biomass is abundant and renewable. Nevertheless, green hydrogen production via electrocatalysis or photocatalysis faces challenges such as slow kinetics and low efficiency. Oxidation catalysis of biomass derivatives, particularly 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), has the potential to substitute for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in hydrolysis, leading to a significant increase in hydrogen evolution and the production of valuable products such as 2,5-diformylfuran (DFF), 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furancarboxylic acid (HMFCA), and 2,5-furan dicarboxylic acid (FDCA). This review explores recent advancements in electrocatalytic, photocatalytic, and photoelectrocatalytic HMF oxidation coupled with hydrogen production. This study provides a theoretical basis and practical guidance for catalyzing HMF oxidation coupled with hydrogen production through a detailed analysis of the reaction mechanism of HMF oxidation coupled with hydrogen generation and the performance of bifunctional catalysts.