Interfacial electronic modulation of Pd/NiFe LDH heterostructure for selective electrooxidation of ethylene glycol to glycolic acid

Pd/NiFe LDH heterointerfaces are constructed for electrooxidation of EG to GA. • Pd/NiFe LDH/NF reaches 100 mA cm −2 at 0.58 V vs. RHE for EGOR. • Pd/NiFe LDH heterointerface enhances OH – adsorption and weakens GA adsorption. The electrooxidation of ethylene glycol (EG) to glycolic acid (GA) is limited by poor OH – adsorption on Pd-based catalysts. In this work, a Pd/NiFe LDH/NF heterostructured catalyst was constructed by depositing Pd on NiFe layered double hydroxide (LDH) supported on nickel foam (NF) for efficient ethylene glycol electrooxidation (EGOR). The Pd/NiFe LDH heterointerface regulates the electronic structure of Pd sites, thereby enhancing the adsorption and activation of EG on Pd sites. And the heterointerface facilitates OH – adsorption, which promotes the conversion of C2 oxygenated intermediates toward GA. Moreover, Pd/NiFe LDH/NF shows relatively weak adsorption toward GA, which favors GA release from active sites and suppresses its further oxidation. Through this interfacial electronic modulation, Pd/NiFe LDH/NF delivers excellent EGOR performance, reaching 100 mA cm −2 at 0.58 V vs. RHE and achieving a maximum GA Faradaic efficiency of 95.7%. This work provides an interfacial design strategy for regulating EGOR over Pd-based catalysts and improving GA selectivity. Download: Download high-res image (98KB) Download: Download full-size image