Compressed Co-O Bonds Resist Chlorine Corrosion to Enhance the Stability of Chlorine-Involved Anodic Reactions

Chlorine (Cl)-involved anodic reactions are essential for green manufacturing, whereas electrocatalysts suffer from deactivation due to Cl corrosion. Here, a Co₃O₄/SnO₂ heterostructure with a shortened Co-O bond is designed to increase structural stability. The combined results of electrochemical measurements and in situ Raman spectroscopy reveal that the deactivation of Co₃O₄ involves the coordination of Cl to Co sites due to the dynamic evolution of lattice oxygen during the lattice oxygen mechanism (LOM). The compressed Co-O bond of Co₃O₄/SnO₂ leads to a restrained LOM, thus resisting Cl-triggered corrosion. Therefore, Co₃O₄/SnO₂ not only realizes the gram-scale synthesis of epoxides through the Cl-mediated method via stable and continuous electrocatalysis processes but is also suitable for other anodic chlorination reactions with enhanced durability. This work provides a facile way to prevent Cl corrosion by hindering LOM.