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Li S, Liu H, Chen G, Wu LZ, Zhang T. Paired Chemical Upgrading in Photoelectrochemical Cells. JACS AU 2025; 5:2061-2075. [PMID: 40443900 PMCID: PMC12117398 DOI: 10.1021/jacsau.5c00115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2025] [Revised: 03/25/2025] [Accepted: 03/27/2025] [Indexed: 06/02/2025]
Abstract
Photoelectrochemical (PEC) technology has emerged as a promising platform for sustainable energy conversion and chemical synthesis, utilizing solar energy to facilitate redox reactions. While PEC systems have been extensively studied for water splitting, CO2 reduction, nitrogen reduction for value-added compounds synthesis, the sluggish oxygen evolution reaction (OER) on the anode side and the less economic value of O2 limit system efficiency. To address this, researchers have explored paired chemical upgrading strategies, coupling selective anodic organic oxidation reactions (OORs) with cathodic reduction reactions. This approach enabled the simultaneous production of high-value chemicals and fuels, enhancing the PEC system efficiency and economic viability. In this Perspective, we highlight the latest advancements and milestones in coupling anode OORs and cathode reduction reactions within PEC cells. Particular emphasis is placed on the key design principles, catalyst development, reaction mechanisms, and the performance of paired PEC cells. In addition, challenges and perspectives are provided for the future development of this emerging and sustainable technology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shijie Li
- Key
Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese
Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, P. R. China
- Center
of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, P. R. China
| | - Hongrui Liu
- Key
Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese
Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, P. R. China
- Center
of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, P. R. China
| | - Guangbo Chen
- Key
Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese
Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, P. R. China
| | - Li-Zhu Wu
- Key
Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese
Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, P. R. China
| | - Tierui Zhang
- Key
Laboratory of Photochemical Conversion and Optoelectronic Materials, Technical Institute of Physics and Chemistry, Chinese
Academy of Sciences, Beijing100190, P. R. China
- Center
of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing100049, P. R. China
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Marchini E, Carli S, Barboni D, Catani M, Cavazzini A, Caramori S, Berardi S. 5-Hydroxymethyl Furfural Oxidation by Perylene Diimide-Sensitized Electrodes Boosted by Photoinduced Doping. CHEMSUSCHEM 2025; 18:e202401782. [PMID: 39533800 PMCID: PMC11826125 DOI: 10.1002/cssc.202401782] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2024] [Revised: 09/27/2024] [Indexed: 11/16/2024]
Abstract
We explored the electrochemical behavior of antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) and perylene diimide (PDI)-sensitized ATO (ATO-PDI) for the (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxyl (TEMPO) mediated conversion of 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (HMF) to 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid (FDCA), a value-added substrate for alternative polymer synthesis. We first showed that ATO displayed good electrocatalytic properties towards TEMPO, affording a quasi-reversible response with a heterogeneous rate constant on the order of 2×10-4 cm s-1. We then evaluated the performance of ATO under exhaustive electrolysis of HMF in basic aqueous electrolyte, reaching 80 % Faradaic Efficiency (FE) for FDCA production. Interestingly, a significantly enhanced current (up to 2.5 mA cm-2) was recorded over time when ATO-PDI was exposed to prolonged visible illumination in a Dye-Sensitized Photoelectrochemical Cell (DSPEC) configuration, which we ascribed to the photoinduced doping of ATO resulting from the oxidative quenching of PDI excited states. The proposed system enabled the production of FDCA with ca. 75 % FE in <2 h reaction time, and an almost quantitative HMF conversion when both the mono- and di-acid products were considered. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first example of a molecular dye-sensitized interface used for the TEMPO-mediated oxidation of HMF.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edoardo Marchini
- Department of ChemicalPharmaceutical and Agricultural SciencesUniversity of Ferrara44121FerraraItaly
| | - Stefano Carli
- Department of Environmental and Prevention SciencesUniversity of Ferrara44121FerraraItaly
| | - Davide Barboni
- Department of ChemicalPharmaceutical and Agricultural SciencesUniversity of Ferrara44121FerraraItaly
| | - Martina Catani
- Department of ChemicalPharmaceutical and Agricultural SciencesUniversity of Ferrara44121FerraraItaly
| | - Alberto Cavazzini
- Department of ChemicalPharmaceutical and Agricultural SciencesUniversity of Ferrara44121FerraraItaly
- Council for Agricultural Research and Economics-CREA00184RomeItaly
| | - Stefano Caramori
- Department of ChemicalPharmaceutical and Agricultural SciencesUniversity of Ferrara44121FerraraItaly
- National Interuniversity Consortium of Materials Science and Technology (INSTM)University of Ferrara Research Unit44121FerraraItaly
| | - Serena Berardi
- Department of ChemicalPharmaceutical and Agricultural SciencesUniversity of Ferrara44121FerraraItaly
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Jeong YJ, Tan R, Nam S, Lee JH, Kim SK, Lee TG, Shin SS, Zheng X, Cho IS. Rapid Surface Reconstruction of In 2S 3 Photoanode via Flame Treatment for Enhanced Photoelectrochemical Performance. ADVANCED MATERIALS (DEERFIELD BEACH, FLA.) 2024:e2403164. [PMID: 38720548 DOI: 10.1002/adma.202403164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2024] [Revised: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
Surface reconstruction, reorganizing the surface atoms or structure, is a promising strategy to manipulate materials' electrical, electrochemical, and surface catalytic properties. Herein, a rapid surface reconstruction of indium sulfide (In2S3) is demonstrated via a high-temperature flame treatment to improve its charge collection properties. The flame process selectively transforms the In2S3 surface into a diffusionless In2O3 layer with high crystallinity. Additionally, it controllably generates bulk sulfur vacancies within a few seconds, leading to surface-reconstructed In2S3 (sr-In2S3). When using those sr-In2S3 as photoanode for photoelectrochemical water splitting devices, these dual functions of surface In2O3/bulk In2S3 reduce the charge recombination in the surface and bulk region, thus improving photocurrent density and stability. With optimized surface reconstruction, the sr-In2S3 photoanode demonstrates a significant photocurrent density of 8.5 mA cm-2 at 1.23 V versus a reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), marking a 2.5-fold increase compared to pristine In2S3 (3.5 mA cm-2). More importantly, the sr-In2S3 photoanode exhibits an impressive photocurrent density of 7.3 mA cm-2 at 0.6 V versus RHE for iodide oxidation reaction. A practical and scalable surface reconstruction is also showcased via flame treatment. This work provides new insights for surface reconstruction engineering in sulfide-based semiconductors, making a breakthrough in developing efficient solar-fuel energy devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoo Jae Jeong
- Department of Energy Systems Research, Ajou University, Suwon, 16499, Republic of Korea
- Department of Material Science & Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon, 16499, Republic of Korea
| | - Runfa Tan
- Department of Energy Systems Research, Ajou University, Suwon, 16499, Republic of Korea
- Department of Material Science & Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon, 16499, Republic of Korea
| | - Seongsik Nam
- Department of Nano Engineering, Department of Nano Science and Technology, SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology (SAINT), Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
- SKKU Institute of Energy Science and Technology (SIEST), Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Jong Ho Lee
- Department of Energy Systems Research, Ajou University, Suwon, 16499, Republic of Korea
- Department of Material Science & Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon, 16499, Republic of Korea
| | - Sung Kyu Kim
- Department of Nanotechnology and Advanced Materials Engineering, Sejong University, Seoul, 05006, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae Gyu Lee
- Department of Material Science & Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon, 16499, Republic of Korea
| | - Seong Sik Shin
- Department of Nano Engineering, Department of Nano Science and Technology, SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology (SAINT), Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
- SKKU Institute of Energy Science and Technology (SIEST), Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea
| | - Xiaolin Zheng
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA
| | - In Sun Cho
- Department of Energy Systems Research, Ajou University, Suwon, 16499, Republic of Korea
- Department of Material Science & Engineering, Ajou University, Suwon, 16499, Republic of Korea
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Lu Y, Liu TK, Lin C, Kim KH, Kim E, Yang Y, Fan X, Zhang K, Park JH. Nanoconfinement Enables Photoelectrochemical Selective Oxidation of Glycerol via the Microscale Fluid Effect. NANO LETTERS 2024; 24:4633-4640. [PMID: 38568864 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c00791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2024]
Abstract
The glycerol oxidation reaction (GOR) run with photoelectrochemical cells (PECs) is one of the most promising ways to upgrade biomass because it is thermodynamically favorable, while irreversible overoxidation leads to unsatisfactory product selectivities. Herein, a tunable one-dimensional nanoconfined environment was introduced into the GOR process, which accelerated mass transfer of glycerol via the microscale fluid effect and changed the main oxidation product from formic acid (FA) to glyceraldehyde (GLD), which led to retention of the heavier multicarbon products. The rate of glycerol diffusion in the nanochannels increased by a factor of 4.92 with decreasing inner diameters. The main product from the PEC-selective oxidation of glycerol changed from the C1 product FA to the C3 product GLD with a great selectivity of 60.7%. This work provides a favorable approach for inhibiting further oxidation of multicarbon products and illustrates the importance of microenvironmental regulation in biomass oxidation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuan Lu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei-KIST Convergence Research Institute, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-749, Republic of Korea
| | - Tae-Kyung Liu
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei-KIST Convergence Research Institute, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-749, Republic of Korea
| | - Cheng Lin
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
| | - Kwang Hee Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei-KIST Convergence Research Institute, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-749, Republic of Korea
| | - Eugene Kim
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei-KIST Convergence Research Institute, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-749, Republic of Korea
| | - Yan Yang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
| | - Xinyi Fan
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
| | - Kan Zhang
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing 210094, China
| | - Jong Hyeok Park
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei-KIST Convergence Research Institute, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 120-749, Republic of Korea
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Yang Y, Yuan X, Wang Q, Wan S, Lin C, Lu S, Zhong Q, Zhang K. HClO-Mediated Photoelectrochemical Epoxidation of Alkenes with Near 100 % Conversion Rate and Selectivity by Regulating Lattice Chlorine Cycle. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2024; 63:e202314383. [PMID: 38216536 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202314383] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 01/14/2024]
Abstract
Directional organic transformation via a green, sustainable catalytic reaction has attracted a lot of attention. Herein, we report a photoelectrochemical approach for highly selective epoxidation of alkenes in a salt solution using Co2 (OH)3 Cl (CoOCl) as a bridge of photo-generated charge, where the lattice Cl- of CoOCl can be oxidized to generate HClO by the photo-generated holes of BiVO4 photoanode and be spontaneously recovered by Cl- of a salt solution, which then oxidizes the alkenes into the corresponding epoxides. As a result, a series of water-soluble alkenes, including 4-vinylbenzenesulfonic acid sodium, 2-methyl-2-propene-1-sulfonic acid sodium, and 3-methyl-3-buten-1-ol can be epoxidized with near 100 % conversion rate and selectivity. Through further inserting a MoOx protection layer between BiVO4 and CoOCl, the stability of CoOCl-MoOx /BiVO4 can be maintained for at least 120 hours. This work opens an avenue for solar-driven organic epoxidation with a possibility of on-site reaction around the abundant ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yan Yang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China
| | - Xiaojia Yuan
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China
| | - Qian Wang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China
| | - Shipeng Wan
- Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei University, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, 120-749, Republic of Korea
| | - Cheng Lin
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China
| | - Siyu Lu
- Green Catalysis Center, College of Chemistry, Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, 450001, Henan, China
| | - Qin Zhong
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China
| | - Kan Zhang
- School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing, 210094, China
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