Advanced imaging reveals how electrocatalysts simultaneously generate hydrogen and organic compounds

Hybrid water electrolyzers are newer devices, which produce hydrogen or other reduction products at the cathode, while valuable organic oxidation products are formed at the anode. This innovative approach significantly increases the profitability of hydrogen production.

Another advantage is that organic oxidation reactions (OOR) to produce the valuable compounds are quite environmentally friendly compared to conventional synthesis processes which often require harsh reagents. However, organic oxidation reactions are very complex, involving multiple catalyst oxidation states, phase transitions, intermediate products, bond formation and dissolution, and varying product selectivity. Research on OOR is still in its infancy.

State of the art review

In Nature Comments Chemistrya team of experts led by Dr. Prashanth Menezes (HZB) and Professor Matthias Driess (Technical University of Berlin) provides a comprehensive overview of this exciting research area. They explain the advanced methods and techniques available on synchrotron sources such as BESSY II, where complex reactions can be analyzed in real time and in situ.

The overview includes various catalytic reactions including oxygenation of alcohols and aldehydes, dehydrogenation of amines, degradation of urea, and coupling reactions. The authors present the most useful methods for better understanding complex reaction mechanisms, such as X-ray absorption, Raman and infrared spectroscopy, and differential electrochemical mass spectrometry.

In situ methods reveal structural changes in the catalyst, while operando techniques monitor both structure and activity under real operating conditions. These methods can be used to explore all kinds of catalytic or chemical reaction systems to better understand the behavior of catalysts and reactions under operating conditions. The journal also contains a chapter on machine learning methods for evaluating large datasets.

“This review aims to raise awareness of this exciting area of ​​research and encourage scientists to combine different analytical techniques. This will promote the understanding of heterogeneous catalytic reactions and accelerate the development of efficient hybrid electrocatalysts as a sustainable green chemistry technology,” explains Menezes.