Elemental trade-off in the selective Electrooxidation of Ethylene Glycol on Palladium-Silver/Nickel Electrodes.

Authors

Noë I Watson, Amelie Fehler, Marit Stoop, Bart van den Bosch, Gadi Rothenberg

Published in

ChemSusChem. Pages e202500724. May 19, 2025. Epub May 19, 2025.

Abstract

We study the synthesis and properties of PdAg electrodes coated on Ni foam and their application in the selective electro-oxidation of ethylene glycol to glycolate. This reaction is a route to glycolic acid, which is a key component of biodegradable packaging. Using a combination of cyclic voltammetry, EDX and XRD analysis, we find that a 3:1 Pd:Ag ratio gives optimal results. We show that the oxidation of ethylene glycol on palladium occurs between 0.3 and 1.2 V vs. RHE, and depends on the presence of a Pd(0) active site. Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy experiments show that the charge-transfer resistance (RCT) follows the same trend as EGOPd activity, with the 3:1 Pd:Ag electrode having the lowest RCT. Electrolysis with this electrode at 0.705 V vs. RHE, where Pd is reduced, results in glycolate production with no overoxidation to formate or oxalate. We then move to a flow setup under industrial conditions, and show that the Pd-Ni electrode yields >80% FE to glycolate for over 140 h. Long-term electrode deactivation can be overcome in this system by a periodic self-refresh cycle.

PMID:
40388593
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 20 May 2025.

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