Energy-efficient hydrogen production coupled with simultaneous electrosynthesis of acetate over a mesoporous OsRh film

Abstract

The energy-efficient hydrogen production coupled with electrosynthesis of multicarbon compounds is an efficient and sustainable alternative approach for electrochemical valorization. Herein, a mesoporous OsRh film on Ni foam (mOsRh/NF) is synthesized by one-step electrodeposition with the assistance of a diblock copolymer. Benefiting from the well-defined mesoporous structure and electronic effect, mOsRh/NF achieves a low overpotential of 62 mV at a current density of 100 mA cm⁻² for hydrogen production, as well as high selectivity for ethanol oxidation to acetate. Furthermore, the integrated two-electrode electrolyzer requires a cell voltage of 1.53 V at 100 mA cm⁻² for the simultaneous production of hydrogen and acetate with high faradaic efficiencies of 94% and 93%, respectively. This work proposes an economic and sustainable co-electrolysis strategy for the simultaneous production of hydrogen and valuable compounds by using self-supported mesoporous metals.