Boosting electrocatalytic glycerol oxidation reaction to formate based on Mn-doped Ni7P3

Abstract

Replacing the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) with the thermodynamically favorable glycerol oxidation reaction (GOR) offers a promising approach for producing high-value chemicals. However, this process remains limited by slow kinetics and low selectivity. In this study, a novel manganese-doped Ni₇P₃ catalyst (Mn-Ni₇P₃/NF-1) was synthesized via a two-step method. The Mn-Ni₇P₃/NF-1 catalyst achieved a current density of 10 mA cm⁻² at 1.306 V vs. RHE and demonstrated a high formic acid Faradaic efficiency of 95.26 % at 1.35 V vs. RHE. This enhanced GOR performance is attributed to the porous nanostructure, which increases exposure of active sites, and the electronic structure modulation resulting from Mn doping. This study presents an effective approach for the reasonable design of highly active and stable electrocatalysts for designing highly active and stable electrocatalysts applicable to GOR and other processes relevant to biodiesel byproducts.