Stabilizer-free bismuth nanoparticles for selective polyol electrooxidation
Weiran Zheng,
Yong Li,
Chui-Shan Tsang,
Pui-Kin So,
Lawrence Yoon Suk Lee
Affiliations
Weiran Zheng
Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology and the State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
Yong Li
Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology and the State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
Chui-Shan Tsang
University Research Facility in Life Science, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
Pui-Kin So
University Research Facility in Life Science, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China
Lawrence Yoon Suk Lee
Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology and the State Key Laboratory of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China; Research Institute for Smart Energy, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR, China; Corresponding author
Summary: Bismuth is the least toxic element among heavy metals, an outstanding advantage for environmental and health considerations. Yet, utilizing bismuth as anodic electrocatalyst is hindered by the formation of a spreading Bi(OH)3 inhibitor layer during the anodic process. Herein, we report that bismuth nanoparticles, produced using laser ablation, can avoid such drawbacks. The production of Bi(V) species assists polyol electrooxidation. For glucose, instead of the commonly reported gluconic acid as the product, the Bi(V) species enables highly selective oxidation and C–C bond cleavage to produce arabinonic acid, erythronic acid, and eventually glyceric acid. We not only generate high-valent Bi(V) species for catalytic applications, especially for bioelectrocatalysis where the less toxic bismuth is highly appreciated, but also present Bi nanoparticle as a highly selective electrocatalyst that can break C–C bond. We believe that Bi electrocatalyst can find broader applications in electrochemical biomass conversion and electrosynthesis.
