Highly Selective Oxidation of Carbohydrates in an Efficient Electrochemical Energy Converter: Cogenerating Organic Electrosynthesis

The selective electrochemical conversion of highly functionalized organic molecules into electricity, heat, and added‐value chemicals for fine chemistry requires the development of highly selective, durable, and low‐cost catalysts. Here, we propose an approach to make catalysts that can convert carbohydrates into chemicals selectively and produce electrical power and recoverable heat. A 100 % Faradaic yield was achieved for the selective oxidation of the anomeric carbon of glucose and its related carbohydrates (C1‐position) without any function protection. Furthermore, the direct glucose fuel cell (DGFC) enables an open‐circuit voltage of 1.1 V in 0.5 m NaOH to be reached, a record. The optimized DGFC delivers an outstanding output power Pmax=2 mW cm−2 with the selective conversion of 0.3 m glucose, which is of great interest for cogeneration. The purified reaction product will serve as a raw material in various industries, which thereby reduces the cost of the whole sustainable process. Electrosynthesis in Fuel Cells: Utterly doable! Biomass is an extensive and endlessly renewable resource that can be converted selectively and efficiently into energy and added‐value chemicals. Here, the design of a direct glucose fuel cell allows a high power density and produces as a cogeneration device, heat and added‐value chemicals. This paves the way for the selective electro‐oxidation of carbohydrates as fuels in a sustainable electrochemical energy converter.