Rational coupling of selective electrochemical oxidation and reduction reactions for in-situ value-added chemical generation

In this review, the recent developments achieved in the electrochemical production of Bi-value-added chemicals by replacing the conventional (oxygen evolution reaction) OER and (hydrogen evolution reaction) HER with thermodynamically favorable reactions are summarized. Beyond conventional electrolysis used for the generation of a single value-added product at the anode or cathode, hybrid electrolysis opens a new avenue for the simultaneous production of value-added concurrently at the anode and cathode. This new strategy can not only increase the efficiency of value-added products, but also abolish the generation of explosive gaseous products by eliminating conventional OER and HER. To construct a hybrid electrolyzer, various anodic oxidation reactions including the oxidation of glucose, glycerol, CH4, 1,2-propanediol, 1-phenylethanol, isopropanol, benzyl alcohol, biomass-derived HMF, syringaldehyde, and o-phenylenediamine are used to replace the anodic OER, whereas CO2RR is mostly used to replace the cathodic HER. Furthermore, the collective efforts of the electrocatalyst, device architecture, and fabrication method toward selective product formation are explained in detail.