Published by: Li Jiangjiang Edited by: Wang Xiangyu
WUST News (Correspondent Li Jiangjiang) – A research team led by Zhang Qin, Li Xuanke, and Chen Yongting from the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Wuhan University of Science and Technology (WUST) has published a significant research paper titled Highly Active Electrocatalytic Alcohol Oxidation Coupled Hydrogen Production with Unsaturated Ni-O(OH) Coordination in the prestigious journal Advanced Energy Materials (DOI: 10.1002/aenm.202504916). This study introduces a Ni–O(OH)–C electrocatalyst composed of unsaturated Ni–O(OH) stabilized Ni crystals confined within a carbon layer, achieving exceptional performance in ethanol oxidation to acetic acid (EOR), hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), and their integrated systems under ampere-level current densities. Chen Yongting, Li Xuanke, Zhang Qin, and Yang Nianjun from Universiteit Hasselt in Belgium served as the co-corresponding authors.
Integrating electrocatalytic H₂ production with the synthesis of high-value chemicals represents a promising and sustainable pathway toward carbon neutrality. A key prerequisite for industrial application is the development of electrocatalysts capable of stable operation under high current densities. This research presents a Ni–O(OH)–C catalyst featuring a metallic Ni core and unsaturated Ni–O(OH) coordination localized on a defect-rich carbon-confined surface, which was used to construct an HER||EOR integrated systems operating efficiently at ampere-level current densities.
Notably, the Ni–O(OH)–C catalyst requires only 1.55 V and -0.32 V to achieve EOR HER current densities of 2 A·cm⁻⟡ and 1.5 A·cm⁻⟡, respectively—performance that surpasses previously reported catalysts under high-current conditions.
The HER||EOR integrated system achieves a Faradaic efficiency of up to 98%, with a total selectivity of 100% for acetic acid and H₂, outperforming conventional Pt/C||RuO₂ water electrolyzers. The high activity is attributed to the unsaturated Ni–O(OH) coordination, which not only preserves the inherent adsorption of *OH species but also accelerates OH adsorption, thereby promoting ethanol dehydrogenation kinetics mediated by adsorbed oxygen (Oads). Moreover, the carbon confinement effect restricts oxygen atom migration, inhibiting the oxidative passivation of Ni–O active sites and stabilizing EOR stability under high current densities.
Simultaneously, these unsaturated Ni–O(OH) species disrupt the interfacial hydrogen bond network, accelerating H₂O transport and optimizing the thermodynamics and kinetics of water dissociation and hydrogen conversion through local electronic effects. Coupled with improved charge transfer facilitated by the conductive carbon-nickel network, the Ni–O(OH)–C catalyst delivers outstanding HER performance even at high current densities.
The catalyst also exhibits versatility, functioning effectively with various alcohol oxidation substrates such as methanol and ethylene glycol. These findings offer a viable strategy for advancing the industrialization of electrosynthesis processes that combine high-value chemical production with hydrogen generation.
Based on these findings, the team also developed a zinc-ethanol-air battery capable of stable cycling for up to 500 hours, demonstrating considerable potential for large-scale chemical production coupled with hydrogen generation and paving the way for future industrial applications.
