Platinum modification of metallic cobalt defect sites for efficient electrocatalytic oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural

Co₃O₄ possesses both direct and indirect oxidation effects and is considered as a promising catalyst for the oxidation of 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF). However, the enrichment and activation effects of Co₃O₄ on OH⁻ and HMF are weak, which limits its further application. Metal defect engineering can regulate the electronic structure, optimize the adsorption of intermediates, and improve the catalytic activity by breaking the symmetry of the material, which is rarely involved in the upgrading of biomass. In this work, we prepare Co₃O₄ with metal defects and load the precious metal platinum at the defect sites (Pt-Vco). The results of in-situ characterizations, electrochemical measurements, and theoretical calculations indicate that the reduction of Co–Co coordination number and the formation of Pt–Co bond induce the decrease of electron filling in the antibonding orbitals of Co element. The resulting upward shift of the d-band center of Co combined with the characteristic adsorption of Pt species synergically enhances the enrichment and activation of organic molecules and OH⁻ species, thus exhibiting excellent HMF oxidation activity (including a lower onset potential (1.14 V) and 19 times higher current density than pure Co₃O₄ at 1.35 V). In summary, this work explores the adsorption enhancement mechanism of metal defect sites modified by precious metal in detail, provides a new option for improving the HMF oxidation activity of cobalt-based materials, broadens the application field of metal defect based materials, and gives an innovative guidance for the functional utilization of metal defect sites in biomass conversion.