Engineering the Solid–Liquid Interface of Carbon Electrodes for Enhanced Organic Electrosynthesis

Electrosynthesis provides a sustainable, energy-efficient platform for valorizing biomass-derived chemicals under mild and environmentally benign conditions. However, its industrial deployment remains limited by low reaction rates and productivity, often constrained by conventional two-dimensional electrodes. Here, we engineer a porous carbon felt cathode to enhance productivity in electrochemical flow reactors for the hydrogenation of cis,cis-muconic acid, a renewable platform diacid key to biobased nylon production. By precisely tuning the surface functionality and hydrophilicity of the carbon felt, we enhance adsorption and charge transfer kinetics at the solid–liquid interface, achieving a 30-fold increase in productivity and a 45% reduction in cell potential at an industrially relevant current density of 200 mA cm–2. These findings underscore the transformative opportunities of engineered carbon electrodes for advancing scalable and sustainable electrosynthesis of commodity and specialty chemicals.