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Electrochemistry

Doubling the efficiency of electrosynthesis

Nature Catalysis volume 6, pages 218–219 (2023)Cite this article

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The ability to maximize electron utilization in electrosynthesis has been a long-standing goal, with research typically focusing on catalyst design or pairing disparate reactions. Now, electrocatalytic hydrogenation is performed with Faradaic efficiencies approaching 200% by producing hydrogen atoms from both the reduction and oxidation reactions simultaneously.

Organic electrosynthesis provides an opportunity to perform chemical reactions using renewable electricity rather than high temperatures and pressures1. Hydrogenation reactions are an appealing target because they represent a large portion of industrially relevant chemical reactions and are traditionally performed using fossil fuel-derived hydrogen2. By using electrosynthesis, water and electricity can replace hydrogen gas and elevated pressures. One main disadvantage of electrocatalytic hydrogenation is that the reduction must be paired with an oxidation that results in a low-value product like O2, requiring high overpotentials to drive the reaction and wasting energy and electrons.

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Fig. 1: A dual palladium hydrogenation system results in double the product at lower voltages.

References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA

    Rebecca S. Sherbo

  2. Department of Chemical Engineering, Northeastern University, Boston, MA, USA

    Rebecca S. Sherbo

  3. Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA

    Aiko Kurimoto

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  1. Rebecca S. Sherbo
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  2. Aiko Kurimoto
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Correspondence to Rebecca S. Sherbo.

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The authors declare no competing interests.

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Sherbo, R.S., Kurimoto, A. Doubling the efficiency of electrosynthesis. Nat Catal 6, 218–219 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-023-00935-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41929-023-00935-2

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