Kilowatt-Level Ethylene Glycol Electrooxidation at Industrial Current Densities Enabled by Synergistic C–H/O–H Activation on PdAu2/Ni1– x O

Abstract Water electrolysis for concurrent green chemical synthesis and hydrogen production represents a pivotal strategy to address global energy challenges. Ethylene glycol (EG) serves as a promising alternative anodic reactant to the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) due to its lower oxidation potential. However, industrial application of Pd-based catalysts remains limited by their tendency for oxidative deactivation. Herein, we fabricate a PdAu2/Ni1–xO catalyst for EG oxidation reaction (EGOR), which exhibits exceptional activity with potentials of 0.99 and 1.09 V vs RHE at 1.0 and 2.0 A cm–2, respectively. Integrated experimental and computational studies reveal that Ni1–xO supplies *OH species, while Au and Pd lower the energy barriers for O–H and C–H cleavage, respectively. Such synergistic mechanism facilitates the continuous reaction of EG and prevented the oxidative deactivation of Pd. In an integrated EGOR∥HER system, stable operation at 500 mA cm–2 was sustained for 320 h at voltages well below conventional water electrolysis, with successful scaling to kW-level (6 cells, 100 A@10.2 V). This work establishes an energy-efficient, dual-product electrochemical manufacturing paradigm through effective anode–cathode coupling.