Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 12, 2026

Developing Photosensitizer-Cobaloxime Hybrids for Solar-Driven H2 Production in Aqueous Aerobic Conditions
Published on: October 5, 2019
Interfacial proton-electron donor synergy enables sustainable oxime electrosynthesis via dual-path reduction
Shuo Wang1, Ying Zhao2,3, Zhuoran Feng1
1State Key Laboratory of Urban Water Resource and Environment, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, China.
Abstract:
The electrosynthesis of value-added organonitrogen chemicals offers a promising strategy to address the anthropogenic unbalance of global nitrogen cycle. The challenge lies the dynamic asynchrony between proton and electron transfer at electrocatalytic interface, resulting in low Faradaic efficiency (FE) and selectivity. Here, we engineer a synergistic proton-electron donor interface by integrating protonated polyaniline with graphite sheets (p-PANI - GS), enabling dual-path reduction of nitrate (NO3-) to *NH2OH, i.e., spontaneous chemical reduction and enhanced electrocatalytic reduction. When coupled with cyclohexanone, this configuration delivers a high cyclohexanone oxime (C6H11NO) productivity of 67.1 µmol h-1 cm-2 with 69.9% FE, while maintaining robust stability across pH of 3.0 - 11.0. Mechanistic investigations unveil that autonomous proton donation synergizes with hetero-interfacial electron redistribution to achieve concerted proton-electron delivery at catalytic sites. Such donor synergy accelerates proton-coupled electron transfer kinetics and stabilizes *NH2OH intermediates in NO3- reduction, thereby steering selectivity toward C6H11NO. Additionally, the solar-driven system and machine learning prediction support the practical extensibility of this oxime electrosynthesis strategy. Our work pioneers an atomic-scale interface engineering framework enabling sustainable value-added oxime electrosynthesis.
Related Concept Videos
Oxidation of Alkenes: Syn Dihydroxylation with Osmium Tetraoxide
Interfacial Electrochemical Methods: Overview
Oxidation of Alkenes: Anti Dihydroxylation with Peroxy Acids
Oxidation and Reduction of Organic Molecules
The removal of an electron from a molecule, results in a...
Thermal and Photochemical Electrocyclic Reactions: Overview
Oxidative Cleavage of Alkenes: Ozonolysis
Ozone is a symmetrical bent molecule stabilized by a resonance structure.

