CrOx modified Ru-Ni2P heterostructures regulate EG adsorption for formate electrosynthesis

Abstract

Developing ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR) electrocatalysts with favorable activity and selectivity offers a mild route to valorize plastic waste and produce high-value chemicals. In this work, a novel three-dimensional nanostructured heterojunction electrocatalyst integrating Ru-doped Ni 2 P and CrO x anchored on nickel foam (denoted as Ru-Ni 2 P/CrO x ) was successfully designed and synthesized via hydrothermal treatment, ion exchange and calcination. This nanostructured heterojunction not only provides abundant active sites for catalytic reaction, but also optimizes alkali-deficient microenvironment, thereby accelerating the diffusion and enriching OH − toward the catalyst surface, promoting adsorption and activation of ethylene glycol (EG) and consequently accelerating EGOR kinetics. The resulting Ru-Ni 2 P/CrO x heterostructured catalyst exhibited favorable EGOR performance, achieving 100 mA cm −2 at an potential of 1.48 V in 1.0 M KOH + 0.3 M EG electrolyte and surpassing other comparative samples. We propose a sustainable route to convert waste polyethylene terephthalate into high value-added chemicals via modified electrocatalysts.