Ga-induced oxygen bridge on PdCu metallene for electrocatalytic valorization of PET plastics to glycolic acid

Electrocatalytic reforming of polyethylene terephthalate (PET)-derived ethylene glycol (EG) into high-value glycolic acid (GA) is a potential strategy for PET plastic upcycling, and the efficiency mainly depends on the identification of high-performance electrocatalysts. In this study, we synthesize Ga-incorporated PdCu metallene (GaO x -PdCuene) with an oxygen-bridge structure (GaO x -PdCuene) for the electrolysis of PET hydrolysate towards GA production. GaO x -PdCuene demonstrates an impressive Faradaic efficiency of 98.72 % for GA production at a potential of 0.9 V, along with stable operation for over 100 h. The experimental and theoretical analyses show that the Ga-induced oxygen-bridge structure, accompanying with p-d orbital hybridization, efficiently regulates electronic structure of Pd, which effectively facilitates *OH species generation and optimizes adsorption energies of intermediates on Pd active sites, leading to high activity and selectivity for GA generation. The work highlights the design of oxygen-bridge structure in Pd-based electrocatalysts for efficient conversion of PET wastes to high-value GA product.