Open AccessHighly Selective and Efficient Electrocatalytic Semihydrogenation of Diphenylacetylene in a PEM Reactor with Pt–Pd Alloy Cathode Catalysts
Author(s) -
Shuji Nogami,
Kensaku Nagasawa,
Atsushi Fukazawa,
Kenta Tanaka,
Shigenori Mitsushima,
Mahito Atobe
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of the electrochemical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.258
H-Index - 271
eISSN - 1945-7111
pISSN - 0013-4651
DOI - 10.1149/1945-7111/abaae7
Subject(s) - diphenylacetylene , proton exchange membrane fuel cell , catalysis , cathode , alloy , chemical engineering , materials science , solar fuel , chemistry , inorganic chemistry , metallurgy , organic chemistry , photocatalysis , engineering
Electric power can be generated from renewable energy sources such as solar and wind, making electrocatalytic hydrogenation an important technology to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the organic synthesis industry. In the present work, the electrocatalytic semihydrogenation of diphenylacetylene was carried out in a proton exchange membrane (PEM) reactor with carbon-supported Pt, Pd, and Pt–Pd alloy cathode catalysts. Diphenylacetylene introduced into the PEM reactor at less negative potentials underwent electrocatalytic hydrogenation to provide cis -stilbene as a main stereoisomer, with excellent current efficiencies. Among the investigated catalysts, the Pt–Pd alloy with a composition of 1(Pt):99(Pd) was found to be the most suitable for achieving both high cis -stilbene selectivity and a high production rate (partial current density) for cis -stilbene.