Lattice Strain and Charge Redistribution of Pt Cluster/Ir Metallene Heterostructure for Ethylene Glycol to Glycolic Acid Conversion Coupled with Hydrogen Production

Upgrading overall water splitting (OWS) system and developing high-performance electrocatalysts is an attractive way to the improve efficiency and reduce the consumption of hydrogen (H₂ ) production from electrolyzed water. Here, a Pt cluster/Ir metallene heterojunction structure (Pt/Ir hetero-metallene) with a unique Pt/Ir interface is reported for the conversion of ethylene glycol (EG) to glycolic acid (GA) coupled with H₂ production. With the assistance of ethylene glycol oxidation (EGOR), the Pt/Ir||Pt/Ir hetero-metallene two-electrode water electrolysis system exhibits a lower cell voltage of 0.36 V at 10 mA cm^-2 . Furthermore, the Faradaic efficiency of EG to GA is as high as 87%. The excellent performance of this new heterostructure arise from the charge redistribution and strain effects induced by Pt-Ir interactions between the heterogeneous interfaces, as well as the larger specific surface area and more active sites due to the metallene structure.