Alcohols electrooxidation coupled with H production at high current densities promoted by a cooperative catalyst.

Electrochemical alcohols oxidation offers a promising approach to produce valuable chemicals and facilitate coupled H production. However, the corresponding current density is very low at moderate cell potential that substantially limits the overall productivity. Here we report the electrooxidation of benzyl alcohol coupled with H production at high current density (540 mA cm at 1.5 V vs. RHE) over a cooperative catalyst of Au nanoparticles supported on cobalt oxyhydroxide nanosheets (Au/CoOOH). The absolute current can further reach 4.8 A at 2.0 V in a more realistic two-electrode membrane-free flow electrolyzer. Experimental combined with theoretical results indicate that the benzyl alcohol can be enriched at Au/CoOOH interface and oxidized by the electrophilic oxygen species (OH*) generated on CoOOH, leading to higher activity than pure Au. Based on the finding that the catalyst can be reversibly oxidized/reduced at anodic potential/open circuit, we design an intermittent potential (IP) strategy for long-term alcohol electrooxidation that achieves high current density (>250 mA cm) over 24 h with promoted productivity and decreased energy consumption.