Insight into the Electrooxidation Mechanism of Ethylene Glycol on Pd‐Based Nanocatalysts: In Situ FTIRS and LC‐MS Analysis

• Published in: ChemElectroChem Vol. 7; no. 21; pp. 4326 - 4335
• Main Authors: da Silva, Rodrigo Garcia G, Rodrigues de Andrade, Adalgisa, Servat, Karine, Morais, Cláudia, Napporn, Teko, Kokoh, Kouakou Boniface
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Weinheim : Wiley-VCH 02-11-2020
• Subjects: Chemical Sciences; Ethylene glycol; electrochemistry; heterogeneous catalysis; fuel cells; energy conversion
• ISSN: 2196-0216; 2196-0216
• DOI: 10.1002/celc.202001019

Ethylene Glycol oxidation reaction on nickel and ruthenium modified palladium nanocatalysts was investigated with electrochemical, spectroelectrochemical, and chromatographic methods. These carbon-supported materials prepared by a revisited polyol approach, exhibited high activity towards the ethylene glycol electrooxidation in alkaline medium. Electrolysis coupled with High Performance Liquid Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (HPLC-MS) and in situ Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIRS) measurements allowed to determine the different compounds electrogenerated in the oxidative conversion of this two-carbon molecule. High value-added products such as oxalate, glyoxylate, and glycolate were identified in all the electrolytic solutions, while glyoxylate was selectively formed at the Ru45@Pd55/C electrode surface. In situ FTIRS results also showed a decrease of the pH value in the thin layer near the electrode as a consequence of OH- consumption during the spectroelectrochemical experiments.