Regulating adsorption selectivity by charge-polarized Au^δ--Cu^δ+ site for stable glucose electrooxidation

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Sustainable Chemistry

Background:

• Noble metal catalysts for glucose electrooxidation face challenges like deactivation and low selectivity.
• Sustainable biomass electro-reforming requires efficient and stable catalytic systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a stable and efficient catalyst for selective glucose electrooxidation to potassium gluconate.
• To investigate the mechanism of enhanced catalytic activity in AuCu alloys.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis and characterization of AuCu alloy catalysts.
• Electrochemical evaluation of glucose electrooxidation performance.
• Analysis of catalytic intermediates and deactivation pathways.

Main Results:

• Au4Cu2 alloy exhibits high selectivity (97.15%) for potassium gluconate production.
• Achieved industrial current density of 500 mA cm-2 at a low potential of 0.74 V vs. RHE.
• Demonstrated stable electrolysis with high productivity (9.46 mmol cm-2 h-1) and Faraday efficiency (93.60%).

Conclusions:

• Au-Cu alloy sites enable co-adsorption of reactants, enhancing glucose electrooxidation.
• The catalyst design effectively prevents deactivation by inhibiting AuOx formation.
• This work presents a promising catalyst for sustainable production of value-added chemicals from biomass.