High-Dimensional\nNb<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub> with\nNbO<sub>6</sub> Octahedra for Efficient Electrocatalytic Upgrading\nof Methanol to Formate

Facilitating the selective electrochemical oxidation\nof methanol\ninto value-added formate is essential for electrochemical refining.\nHere we propose a high-dimensional Nb<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub> on\nNi foam (Nb<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>–HD@NF) composite as anode\nfor methanol oxidation reaction (MOR) for efficient production of\nformate. In an electrolyte containing 3 M methanol aqueous solution,\nthe Nb<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>–HD@NF anode requires only 240\nmV overpotential to deliver an industrial-level current density of\n100 mA cm<sup>–2</sup> with a formate Faraday efficiency of\n100%. <i>In situ</i> Raman and electrochemical kinetic analyses\nreveal that the origin of the excellent activity in 3 M methanol electrolyte\ncan be ascribed to the NbO<sub>6</sub> octahedra as active sites and\nthe Lewis acid sites on the surface of Nb<sub>2</sub>O<sub>5</sub>–HD. This work may pave a way for the design of non-noble\nmetal electrocatalysts with surface acidity engineering for the effective\nelectrocatalytic upgrading of biomass molecules.