High-Entropy Hydroxyl Carbonate With Zn, Co, Ni, Cu, and In as an Efficient Catalyst for Benzyl Alcohol Upgrading

Electrocatalytic hydrogen production is pivotal for advancing the transition to green energy. However, its widespread application is hindered by the limited efficiency of electrocatalysts and the sluggish kinetics of the anodic oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Developing high-performance, durable, and cost-effective electrocatalysts, coupled with the substitution of OER with thermodynamically more favorable oxidation reactions, represents a promising strategy to address these challenges. Herein, we successfully fabricated a novel transition metal-based high-entropy hydroxyl carbonate (HE-HC) catalyst. Comprehensive experimental and computational characterizations demonstrate that the resulting catalyst exhibits superior catalytic activity for the benzyl alcohol oxidation reaction (BOR), achieving high selectivity and Faradaic efficiency (FE) toward the value-added product, benzoic acid. This work not only presents a novel metal-organic framework (MOF)-derived high-entropy catalyst for efficient alcohol oxidation co-electrolysis but also provides fundamental insights into the design principles of multi-metallic catalysts for coupled energy conversion and chemical synthesis processes.