Rational coupling of selective electrochemical oxidation and reduction reactions for in-situ value-added chemical generation

In this review, the recent developments achieved in the electrochemical production of Bi-value-added chemicals by replacing the conventional (oxygen evolution reaction) OER and (hydrogen evolution reaction) HER with thermodynamically favorable reactions are summarized. Beyond conventional electrolysis used for the generation of a single value-added product at the anode or cathode, hybrid electrolysis opens a new avenue for the simultaneous production of value-added concurrently at the anode and cathode. This new strategy can not only increase the efficiency of value-added products, but also abolish the generation of explosive gaseous products by eliminating conventional OER and HER. To construct a hybrid electrolyzer, various anodic oxidation reactions including the oxidation of glucose, glycerol, CH₄, 1,2-propanediol, 1-phenylethanol, isopropanol, benzyl alcohol, biomass-derived HMF, syringaldehyde, and o-phenylenediamine are used to replace the anodic OER, whereas CO₂RR is mostly used to replace the cathodic HER. Furthermore, the collective efforts of the electrocatalyst, device architecture, and fabrication method toward selective product formation are explained in detail.