Scalable Nickel Electrode Enabled by Water‐Oxygen Corrosion for Kilogram‐Scale Electrosynthesis of 2,5‐Furandicarboxylic Acid

ABSTRACT Electrocatalysis offers a potential sustainable route toward plastic monomers, as exemplified by the electrooxidation of biomass derived 5‐hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) to 2,5‐furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA). However, the scale‐up of this process is largely limited by the availability of suitable anodic electrocatalysts. Here we developed a facile approach to fabricate self‐supported Ni(OH) 2 nanoarray through the corrosion of nickel foam under moist O 2 atmosphere, resulting in an efficient and stable anode for HMF electrooxidation toward FDCA with 99% of Faradaic efficiency for 79 cycles. This method enables the scalable manufacture of a large‐area, uniform nickel anode up to 8050 cm 2 . The obtained electrodes enable continuous HMF electrooxidation coupled with hydrogen production in a membrane‐free electrolyzer with a geometric electrode area of 80 cm 2 at 10 A for 174 h with high single‐pass conversion (∼98%) and FDCA selectivity (∼93%). Finally, this system was showcased for solar powered FDCA electrosynthesis and its application in manufacturing polyethylene furandicarboxylate plastic for 3D printing. This work provides a promising strategy for scalable electrocatalytic biomass valorization.