Enhancing the selectivity of glycerol electrooxidation toward C3 products through the synergistic effect of Au and Pt

The glycerol electrochemical oxidation (GEOR) represents a sustainable strategy for converting abundant biomass-derived feedstocks into high value-added chemicals. Herein, we prepared a series of Pt/Au/Ti catalysts via electrodepositing Pt nanoparticles (NPs) onto Au-sputtered Ti substrates (Au/Ti). The atomic Pt/Au ratio on the surface was engineered through pulse-deposition cycles. The structures of the catalysts were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction, confirming that Pt NPs were uniformly deposited on the Au/Ti surface. Electrochemical evaluations demonstrated that the 10Pt/Au/Ti catalyst has superior GEOR performance in 1 M KOH solutions, achieving a peak current density of 13.16 mA cm −2 . Operando electrochemical impedance spectroscopy revealed that Au and Pt worked synergistically to promote the adsorption of adsorbed hydroxyl species ( OH ad ) and glycerol, thereby improving GEOR activity. Product analysis revealed that the 10Pt/Au/Ti catalyst yielded the highest glyceric acid selectivity of 93.6% at 0.9 V vs. RHE under alkaline conditions. This study provides an efficient strategy for the highly selective conversion of glycerol into high value-added C 3 products.