The selective oxidation of biomass into valuable chemicals and fuels is a key challenge in sustainable energy and biorefining. While both thermo- and electro-catalytic processes offer promising pathways, their commercial viability is often limited by stability, selectivity, and the need for extreme operating conditions. In this work, we introduce Cooperative Redox Enhancement (CORE) as a simple yet effective bimetallic approach to enhance catalytic activity and stability. Using 1,2-butanediol, hydroxymethylfurfural, and 1,2-propanediol as model substrates, we demonstrate that spontaneous polarization between physically mixed bimetallic catalysts drives thermocatalytic biomass conversion under mild conditions. This polarization effect facilitates half-reaction activities of each catalyst, leading to redox enhancement and improved reaction selectivity. Further, we show that CORE can also be applied to mitigate catalyst leaching across a range of pH conditions by controlling the electrochemical potential of the catalyst within a thermodynamically stable regime. These findings provide a guide for designing bimetallic catalysts and offer a scalable and effective strategy for sustainable biomass conversion.
