Efficient Ethanol Dehydrogenation to Acetaldehyde and H <sub>2</sub> via Synergistic Thermocatalysis and Electrocatalysis

J Jingjing Wang L Li Wang (The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University and Henan Cancer Hospital Zhengzhou China) Z Zuyao Jiang (State Key Laboratory of Chemo and Biosensing College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering International Joint Lab of Energy Electrochemistry of the Ministry of Education Hunan University Changsha 410082 China) Y Yabin Xu (State Key Laboratory of Chemo and Biosensing College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering International Joint Lab of Energy Electrochemistry of the Ministry of Education Hunan University Changsha 410082 China) Q Qie Liu (State Key Laboratory of Chemo and Biosensing College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering International Joint Lab of Energy Electrochemistry of the Ministry of Education Hunan University Changsha 410082 China) M Miaoyu Li L Le Zhang T Tehua Wang (State Key Laboratory of Chemo and Biosensing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University) R Ru Chen (State Key Laboratory of Chemo and Biosensing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University) Z Zhaoling Ma (Guangxi Key Laboratory of Low Carbon Energy Materials Guangxi New Energy Ship Battery Engineering Technology Research Center Guangxi scientific and technological achievements transformation pilot research base of electrochemical energy materials and devices School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Guangxi Normal University Guangxi 541004 China) L Li Tao (State Key Laboratory of Chemo and Biosensing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University) S Shuangyin Wang (State Key Laboratory of Chem/Bio-Sensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering)

Abstract

Abstract The dehydrogenation of ethanol to acetaldehyde and H 2 represents an attractive synthetic route, owing to the versatile applications of acetaldehyde and the high atom economy. In this work, efficient ethanol dehydrogenation was achieved at the anode of a high‐temperature polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzer by integrating thermocatalytic ethanol dehydrogenation (EDHR) with electrochemical hydrogen oxidation (HOR) over Ru/C and PdAu/C composite catalytic layer. The Ru/C serves as a bifunctional catalyst for the EDHR and HOR, and the PdAu/C could rapidly electrooxidize retained acetaldehyde of the catalyst layer into acetic acid, thereby effectively promoting the dehydrogenation of ethanol. Under the conditions of 200 °C and 0.6 V, this reaction enabled high production rates of acetaldehyde (1479 mmol g −1 h −1 with 99.06% selectivity) at the anode and H 2 (1728 mmol g −1 h −1 ) at the cathode, substantially outperforming traditional thermal catalytic and electrocatalytic processes. This work provides a novel strategy for efficient alcohol dehydrogenation and facilitates the sustainable synthesis of value‐added products.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 65, Issue 7
Published February 09, 2026
ISSN 1433-7851
Publisher Wiley

Journal Info

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Wiley

ISSN: 1433-7851 Physical Sciences

Authors (12)

J

Jingjing Wang

L

Li Wang

The Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Zhengzhou University and Henan Cancer Hospital Zhengzhou China

Z

Zuyao Jiang

State Key Laboratory of Chemo and Biosensing College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering International Joint Lab of Energy Electrochemistry of the Ministry of Education Hunan University Changsha 410082 China

Y

Yabin Xu

State Key Laboratory of Chemo and Biosensing College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering International Joint Lab of Energy Electrochemistry of the Ministry of Education Hunan University Changsha 410082 China

Q

Qie Liu

State Key Laboratory of Chemo and Biosensing College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering International Joint Lab of Energy Electrochemistry of the Ministry of Education Hunan University Changsha 410082 China

M

Miaoyu Li

L

Le Zhang

T

Tehua Wang

State Key Laboratory of Chemo and Biosensing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University

R

Ru Chen

State Key Laboratory of Chemo and Biosensing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University

Z

Zhaoling Ma

Guangxi Key Laboratory of Low Carbon Energy Materials Guangxi New Energy Ship Battery Engineering Technology Research Center Guangxi scientific and technological achievements transformation pilot research base of electrochemical energy materials and devices School of Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences Guangxi Normal University Guangxi 541004 China

L

Li Tao

State Key Laboratory of Chemo and Biosensing, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Hunan University

S

Shuangyin Wang

State Key Laboratory of Chem/Bio-Sensing and Chemometrics, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering