Efficient ethanol electro-reforming on bimetallic anodes supported on adenine-based noble carbons: hydrogen production and value-added chemicals

Herein, adenine-derived noble carbons are used as anodic supports for PtRu nanoparticles for the ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). Three noble carbons were synthesized using salt melts as templates and denoted as ANZ, ALZ and ALK depending on the precursor (LiCl/ZnCl2, NaCl/ZnCl2 and LiCl/KCl). Their large nitrogen content and pore volume (ANZ > ALZ > ALK) facilitate the formation of small PtRu nanoparticles (2-3 nm), while variations in the C/N ratio and surface area deeply affected the alloy formation (0-58%). In a half-cell configuration, PtRu/ANZ exhibited the highest activity (443 mA/mgPtRu), followed by PtRu/ALZ and PtRu/ALK, due its higher dispersion degree and lower alloying percentage. More interestingly, PtRu/ANZ and PtRu/ALZ presented 2.4 and 1.6 larger mass activity than commercial PtRu/C. Regarding the ethanol electrolysis, the best materials were scaled up to a proton exchange membrane cell. Acetaldehyde was the major compound followed by acetic acid and ethyl acetate (anode), while hydrogen was produced with 100% faradaic efficiency (cathode). PtRu/ANZ provided the best electrochemical performance, shifting the acetic acid production to a lower potential (0.6 V), requiring lower energy (- 35 kWh=kgH2 at 1 A) than commercial water electrolyzers. These promising results set a precedent for high nitrogen containing supports for EOR electrocatalysts.(c) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

In this study, adenine-derived noble carbons were used as anodic supports for PtRu nanoparticles to enhance the catalytic activity of ethanol oxidation reaction (EOR). Three noble carbons (ANZ, ALZ, and ALK) were synthesized, and ANZ showed the highest catalytic activity due to its higher dispersion degree and lower alloying percentage. PtRu/ANZ exhibited 2.4 and 1.6 times larger mass activity than commercial PtRu/C in EOR and scaled-up proton exchange membrane cell experiments, respectively. These findings indicate the potential of nitrogen-containing supports for EOR electrocatalysts.