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Unveiling synergy of strain and ligand effects in metallic aerogel for electrocatalytic polyethylene terephthalate upcycling
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Researchers developed a Pd67Ag33 alloy electrocatalyst that converts waste PET plastic into glycolic acid with 92.7% efficiency under ambient conditions, achieving activity 408 times greater than standard catalysts. The study reveals how combined strain and ligand effects in the alloy synergistically boost selectivity and reaction kinetics.
Recently, there has been a notable surge in interest regarding reclaiming valuable chemicals from waste plastics. However, the energy-intensive conventional thermal catalysis does not align with the concept of sustainable development. Herein, we report a sustainable electrocatalytic approach allowing the selective synthesis of glycolic acid (GA) from waste polyethylene terephthalate (PET) over a Pd67Ag33 alloy catalyst under ambient conditions. Notably, Pd67Ag33 delivers a high mass activity of 9.7 A mgPd-1 for ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR) and GA Faradaic efficiency of 92.7 %, representing the most active catalyst for selective GA synthesis. In situ experiments and computational simulations uncover that ligand effect induced by Ag incorporation enhances the GA selectivity by facilitating carbonyl intermediates desorption, while the lattice mismatch-triggered tensile strain optimizes the adsorption of *OH species to boost reaction kinetics. This work unveils the synergistic of strain and ligand effect in alloy catalyst and provides guidance for the design of future catalysts for PET upcycling. We further investigate the versatility of Pd67Ag33 catalyst on CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) and assemble EGOR//CO2RR integrated electrolyzer, presenting a pioneering demonstration for reforming waste carbon resource (i.e., PET and CO2) into high-value chemicals.
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This study developed an electrochemical upcycling process to convert waste PET plastic into biodegradable polyglycolic acid using Pd-CoCr₂O₄ catalysts, achieving 93% glycolic acid selectivity at industrial-relevant current densities. A pilot plant test converted 20 kilograms of waste PET at 0.32 kilograms per hour yield, demonstrating the potential for scalable conversion of plastic waste into a biodegradable replacement polymer.
Coral‐Like Pd 3 Pb Nanoarchitectures Enable Poisoning‐Resistant Electrosynthesis of Glycolic Acid From PET‐Derived Ethylene Glycol
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Coral-like Pd3Pb nanocrystals electrochemically converted PET plastic hydrolysate into glycolic acid with 95.2% selectivity and over 77 hours durability, by using Pb incorporation to suppress catalyst poisoning and enable stable long-term operation. This electrochemical upcycling approach transforms plastic waste directly into a commercially valuable chemical, offering a pathway that simultaneously addresses plastic pollution and produces useful feedstocks.
Tuning Multi‐Active Sites in Ni(OH) 2 Catalyst via V/Ru Doping for Ampere‐Level Upcycling of Polyethylene Terephthalate Plastic
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Researchers developed a vanadium- and ruthenium-doped nickel hydroxide electrocatalyst that converts ethylene glycol from PET plastic waste into formic acid at industrial-scale current densities up to 2000 mA/cm², with V accelerating catalyst activation and Ru promoting the hydroxyl radicals needed to sustain high selectivity at ampere-level operation.
Co-Electrolysis of PET and CO2 using a Co-MOF-74-Derived Anode and a Polymeric Co-Phthalocyanine Cathode
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This study presents an electrochemical approach that simultaneously breaks down PET plastic waste and converts CO2 into useful products using a cobalt-MOF-74-derived anode. The co-electrolysis system couples plastic oxidation with carbon dioxide reduction, offering a dual-benefit strategy for waste valorization and greenhouse gas utilization. Results demonstrate the feasibility of integrating plastic recycling with carbon capture in a single electrochemical cell.
Advanced catalyst design and mechanistic insights in electrocatalytic upcycling of PET-derived ethylene glycol and coupled electrolysis systems.
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Researchers reviewed electrocatalytic strategies for converting PET-derived ethylene glycol into value-added chemicals, analyzing mechanistic differences between C-C cleavage pathways leading to formate and selectivity-controlled routes toward glycolate — and surveying how coupling these oxidation reactions with hydrogen evolution, CO reduction, or nitrate reduction can lower overall cell voltage while co-producing useful fuels.
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