Sulfur‐Stabilized High Entropy Oxysulfides Enable Efficient CC Bond Cleavage in Ethylene Glycol Electrooxidation for Sustainable Plastic Upcycling to Formate
Abstract
The conversion of plastic waste into value‐added chemicals coupled with energy‐efficient H 2 production is a sustainable strategy for addressing environmental and energy challenges, for example, the selective electrooxidation of polyethylene terephthalate (PET)‐derived ethylene glycol (EG) to C1 products via CC bond cleavage is important for advancing PET electro‐reforming. Herein, a high‐entropy transition metal oxysulfide is synthesized through the one‐step room‐temperature incorporation of S into a high‐entropy transition metal oxide and evaluated as a catalyst for EG electrooxidation under alkaline conditions. Covalently bound S stabilizes O vacancies and high‐valence transition metal states through defect‐induced charge redistribution, enhancing lattice stability and promoting the establishment of an advantageous electronic structure. The developed catalyst is highly active, selective, and durable, achieving efficient CC bond cleavage and formic acid production with a faradaic efficiency of 84.6%. S incorporation enhances both lattice‐oxygen and adsorbed‐oxygen mechanism pathways for CC bond cleavage and accelerates hydrogen atom transfer, thereby enabling concerted formate formation. Replacing the anodic O 2 evolution reaction with EG electrooxidation markedly reduces the required cell voltage, highlighting the high–entropy oxysulfide's promise as an electrocatalyst for plastic upcycling and energy–efficient green H 2 generation.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Advanced oxidation water treatment
Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion
Membrane-based Ion Separation Techniques
Publication details
- Journal / source
- ChemSusChem
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Volume
- 19
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- e202502529–e202502529
- Publication date
- 3 March 2026
- Language
- EN