Alternating Pulse Driven Periodic Reactivation of High‐Entropy Mesoporous Film Boosts Continuous Membrane‐Free PET Waste Upcycling Coupled with H <sub>2</sub> Production
Ya Zhou, Taoyuan Tian, Shaojian Jiang, Rui Shen, Hongjie Yu, Ziqiang Wang, Hongjing Wang, Liang Wang, Kai Deng
Abstract
Abstract Electrochemical upcycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) hydrolysate into value‐added chemicals presents a sustainable solution to address plastic pollution and energy demands. However, conventional noble metal‐based electrocatalysts often suffer from rapid deactivation due to surface oxidation and intermediate poisoning, while conventional pulse strategies exhibit compromised efficiency during resting potentials. Herein, an alternating (ALT) pulse strategy is developed utilizing a mesoporous high‐entropy film (m‐HEA/NF) bifunctional catalyst that enables continuous anodic production of glycolic acid (GA) coupled with cathodic H 2 evolution. The system achieves 97% Faradaic efficiency for GA (FE GA ) and ≈100% FE H2 at 250 mA cm −2 with GA and H 2 production rates (PR GA and PR H2 ) of 2.284 mmol cm −2 h −1 and 108 mL cm −2 h −1 , respectively, representing a significant improvement over the conventional pulse strategy. Notably, the membrane‐free flow system delivers a current of 2 A with a PR GA of 15.114 mmol cm −2 h −1 , demonstrating remarkable potential for industrial implementation. In situ spectroscopic analysis reveals that the ALT pulse strategy effectively mitigates metal oxidation and prevents intermediate accumulation through periodic regeneration of active sites, while the alternating anodic/cathodic cycles eliminate resting periods to enhance operational efficiency. The work establishes a universal paradigm for sustainable electrosynthesis, integrating plastic valorization with energy‐efficient H 2 production.