Photocatalytic conversion of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-diformylfuran by S-scheme black phosphorus/CdIn2S4 heterojunction

To reduce the dependence on fossil energy, the use of photocatalytic technology value-added conversion of biomass platform molecules has been widely studied. Photocatalytic materials with high photogenerated carrier separation and migration efficiency are key to realizing the molecular value-added conversion of biomass platforms. In this study, a simple and effective method prepared the 2D-3D heterojunction structure of black phosphorus/CdIn2S4 for biomass value-added conversion. The use of this catalyst for the photocatalytic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-diformylfuran gave excellent performance under ambient conditions without any additives. Compared with pure CdIn2S4, the black phosphorus/CdIn2S4 heterojunction has higher photocatalytic selective oxidation activity. The photocatalytic mechanism of S-type heterojunctions with high photogenerated carrier separation and migration efficiency is proposed based on the relevant characterization and DFT simulations. Through a capture agent experiment and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, the main intermediates in the reaction were determined to be holes (h(+)) and the superoxide radical (center dot O-2(-)), and the reaction pathway of HMF photocatalytic conversion to DFF was further determined. This paper provides new ideas for S-type heterostructure construction and photocatalytic conversion of biomass platform molecules.

Automated summary

To reduce dependence on fossil energy, researchers have studied the use of photocatalytic technology for the value-added conversion of biomass platform molecules. In this study, a 2D-3D heterojunction structure of black phosphorus/CdIn2S4 was prepared as a catalyst for the photocatalytic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural to 2,5-diformylfuran. The heterojunction exhibited higher photocatalytic selective oxidation activity compared to pure CdIn2S4. The photocatalytic mechanism was proposed based on characterization and simulations, and the reaction pathway for the photocatalytic conversion was determined. This research provides new insights for the construction of heterostructures and the photocatalytic conversion of biomass platform molecules.