Electrocatalytic Oxidative Dehydrogenation of Aldehydes over Cu-Based Bimetallic Catalysts for Bipolar H2 Production with Industrially-Relevant Rates

Abstract

Electrocatalytic oxidative dehydrogenation (EOD) of aldehydes enables ultra-low voltage, bipolar H2 production with co-generation of carboxylic acid. Herein, we presented a simple galvanic replacement method to prepare CuM (M= Pt, Pd, Au, and Ag) bimetallic catalysts to improve EOD of furfural to reach industrially-relevant current density. The redox potential difference between Cu/Cu2+ and a noble metal M/My+ can incorporate noble metal on Cu surface and enlarge its surface area. Particularly, dispersing Pt into Cu (CuPt) exhibits a unique synergistic effect for furfural EOD via efficient C-H cleavage on Cu and favorable furfural binding on Pt. The CuPt anode-based flow electrolyzer achieved a record-high current density of 498 mA cm−2 for bipolar H2 production at a low cell voltage of 0.6 V and faradaic efficiency of >80% to H2. The bimetallic catalysts hold potential for future distributed manufacturing of green hydrogen and carbon chemicals with practical rates and low-carbon footprints.