Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 29, 2026

Hydrogen Production and Utilization in a Membrane Reactor
Published on: March 10, 2023
Decoupling charge‒discharge electrolysis for hydrogen evolution and organic oxidation reactions
Yi Huang1,2, Hongyu Zhou3, Jiajun Wang4
1Engineering Research Center of Photoenergy Utilization for Pollution Control and Carbon Reduction, Ministry of Education, College of Chemistry, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, China. yihuang@ccnu.edu.cn.
Abstract:
Replacing the oxygen evolution reaction with more thermodynamically favourable organic oxidation reactions (OORs) can enable energy-efficient hydrogen evolution and hydrogenation. However, cathodic reduction rates are limited by sluggish OORs. Herein, we report a decoupled electrolysis strategy using a solid redox reservoir (RR) to realize an optimized hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) paired with valuable chemical synthesis. The decoupled system with a rechargeable capability features a HER coupled with RR oxidation for electricity storage, which is followed by the conversion of OORs (e.g., ethylene glycol, glycerol) into value-added chemicals coupled with the reduction of the oxidized RR to generate electricity. The fast kinetics of RR oxidation and membrane-free cell operation optimize the HER rate. The value-added chemicals and electricity are cocreated during the discharge process, offering more economic benefits. This decoupling design is universally applicable to other OORs-paired reduction systems (e.g., acetylene-to-ethylene semihydrogenation) to synthesize various chemicals for electricity storage and generation, paving a sustainable avenue for H2 production/hydrogenation and chemicals manufacturing.
More Related Videos
10:15Solar-Driven Electrochemical Green Fuel Production from CO2 and Water Using Ti3C2Tx MXene-Supported CuZn and NiCo Catalysts
Published on: November 7, 2025
06:39Author Spotlight: Design and Evaluation of Au-Electroplated Carbon Fiber Cloth Electrodes for Hydrogen Peroxide Fuel Cells
Published on: October 20, 2023
Related Concept Videos
Electrolysis
Processes at Electrodes
Electrodeposition
Electrodeposition can...
The Electrical Double Layer
Oxidation and Reduction of Organic Molecules
The removal of an electron from a molecule, results in a...
Thermal and Photochemical Electrocyclic Reactions: Overview