In-situ surface reconstruction of Si enables highly selective and stable electrocatalytic synthesis of ethylene glycol.
basic_science · Level V
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- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 42754583.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-026-76900-x.
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Abstract
The in-situ reconstruction of catalysts has increasingly garnered research interest due to its pivotal role in modulating selectivity and improving activity. The surface reconstruction of group IVA element-based compounds under reaction conditions has been rarely investigated, despite wide application as active sites or carriers in catalyst fabrication. In this work, the heavy-period element in group IVA exhibits high activity in the electrocatalytic reduction of formaldehyde (HCHO) with H<sub>2</sub>O, which is attributed to the accelerated proton-coupled electron transfer by strong HCHO adsorption. Remarkably, the proper reconstruction of metallic Si to Si-OH during the electrolysis accounts for the active surface, enabling a highly selective formation of ethylene glycol (EG). Competitive long-term stability (1500 h) is demonstrated at -200 mA cm<sup>-2</sup> with a low-resistance Si sheet as the cathode, which highlights the industrialization prospects of this alternative route for EG production.