Electrochemical epoxidation enhanced by C2H4 activation and hydroxyl generation at the Ag/SnO2 interface

Direct electrochemical ethylene (C 2 H 4 ) epoxidation with water (H 2 O) represents a promising approach for the production of value-added ethylene oxide (EO) in a sustainable way. However, the activity remains limited due to the sluggish activation of C 2 H 4 and the stiff formation of *OH intermediate. This paper describes the design of a Ag/SnO 2 electrocatalyst to achieve efficient electrochemical C 2 H 4 epoxidation with a high faradaic efficiency of 39.4% for EO and a high selectivity of 91.5% at 25 mA/cm 2 in a membrane electrode assembly. Results of in situ attenuated total reflection infrared spectra characterizations and computational calculations reveal that the Ag/SnO 2 interface promotes C 2 H 4 adsorption and activation to obtain *C 2 H 4 . Moreover, electrophilic *OH is generated on the catalyst surface through H 2 O dissociation, which further reacts with *C 2 H 4 to facilitate the formation of *C 2 H 4 OH, contributing to the enhanced electrochemical epoxidation activity. This work would provide general guidance for designing catalysts for electrochemical olefin epoxidation through interface engineering.