Multicomponent Nanowire Aerogels With Tailored Adsorption Equilibrium for the Upcycling of Polyethylene Terephthalate

Abstract

ABSTRACT Multicomponent nanowire aerogels (MNWAs) integrate 1D anisotropy with 3D porous frameworks, yet their synthesis remains challenging due to incompatible reduction kinetics and immiscibility of multicomponent systems. Herein, we develop a “confined topological transformation” strategy to directly fabricate MNWAs. We uncover the critical role of “confined interfacial bonding evolution competition mechanism” in governing noble metal interactions with Te templates during transformation. The MNWAs enable efficient value‐added conversion of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), demonstrating their practical potential. Specifically, the PdPtRuRhIrTe MNWAs/C exhibit remarkably high Faraday efficiency of 91.7% and yield rate of 12.05 mmol h −1 mg −1 for glycolic acid in electrocatalytic PET‐derived ethylene glycol oxidation reaction (EGOR), which is higher than that of multicomponent nanopartical aerogels and PdTe/PtTe/PdPtTe nanowire aerogels. Notably, the PdPtRuRhIrTe MNWAs/C maintain stable operation for over 1000 h in cyclic tests at an industrial‐level current density of 100 mA cm −2 in a membrane electrode assembly, with electrolyte replacement every 24 h. Further analysis and theoretical calculations reveal that the multicomponent nature synergistic effect of PdPtRuRhIrTe MNWAs promote the electronic and mass transmission, modulate the adsorption of surface‐adsorbed *OH and EG, thereby lowering the energy barrier of the potential determining step (the formation of *HOCH 2 CHOHOH) and ultimately enhancing the electrocatalytic performance.