Acceptorless Photocatalytic Dehydrogenation of Furfuryl Alcohol (FOL) to Furfural (FAL) and Furoic Acid (FA) over Ti₃C₂T_x/CdS under Visible Light

Abstract

Acceptorless photocatalytic dehydrogenation is not only a promising alternative to photocatalytic water splitting for hydrogen generation but also provides a green and sustainable strategy for the synthesis of value-added organic compounds. In this work, Ti 3 C 2 T x /CdS nanocomposites were obtained by self-assembly of hexagonal CdS in the presence of preformed Ti 3 C 2 T x nanosheets, which serves as a photocatalyst for acceptorless dehydrogenation of biomass-derived furfuryl alcohol (FOL) to furfural (FAL) and furoic acid (FA) in neutral and alkaline medium respectively, with simultaneous generation of stoichiometric hydrogen under visible light. Ti 3 C 2 T x MXene acts as an efficient cocatalyst for the photocatalytic dehydrogenation of FOL over CdS, with an optimum performance achieved over 0.50 wt% Ti 3 C 2 T x /CdS nanocomposite. This study provides an economic and sustainable strategy for the simultaneous valorization of biomass-derived FOL to produce FAL and FA as well as the production of clean energy hydrogen under mild condition based on noble metal-free semiconductor-based photocatalysts.

Building a bridge from solid wastes to solar fuels and chemicals via artificial photosynthesis

“…(F) The mechanism of furoic acid generation. Reproduced with permission 93 . Copyright 2021, Wiley‐VCH…”

“…When the system turns to an alkaline solution, furoic acid instead of furfural will be the main product due to the Cannizzaro mechanism. Under basic conditions, the conversion of FFA to FA has been realized over the photocatalyst of Ti 3 C 2 T x /CdS (Figure 5F), 93 and the yield of FA improved as the alkaline concentration increased. Notably, excessive addition of base led to a slightly decreased yield of FA, which was attributed to the fact that radical species derived from OH − oxidation could consume FA.…”

“…Reproduced with permission. 93 Copyright 2021, Wiley-VCH corresponding carbon radicals companied by the generation of one hydrogen proton which was rapidly trapped by metallic Ni. Afterward, the HMF radical adsorbed on g-C 3 N 4 was further oxidized into DFF by another hole, accompanied by the extraction of the other proton by Ni.…”

Structure-Dependent Surface Molecule-Modified Semiconductor Photocatalysts: Recent Progress and Future Challenges

“…Since then, extensive studies have been done in the photocatalysis field (photocatalytic water splitting, photocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction, photocatalytic pollutant removal, photocatalytic organic transformation, etc. ). − Generally speaking, photogenerated charge carriers in a semiconductor undergo a complete cycle, in which the solar energy was converted into chemical energy. Take photocatalytic water splitting as an example.…”