Work

Overcoming Mass‐Transport Limitations in Electrocatalytic Dehalogenation via DMSO‐Engineered Hydrogen Bonds

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: ABSTRACT Electrocatalytic conversion of water‐soluble organics in aqueous media offers a sustainable route to high‐value chemicals, yet sluggish mass transport remains a critical bottleneck at industrially relevant current densities. Here, dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) is employed as the modifier to enhance mass transport by reconstructing hydrogen‐bond (H‐bond) networks. In the bulk electrolyte, DMSO inserts into the dense hydrogen bonds to expand the free‐volume distribution, releasing reactants from the solvation shell and accelerating their diffusion. Simultaneously, interfacial interactions between DMSO, reactants, and cations enrich local reactant concentrations, cooperatively facilitating the reaction kinetics. This dual‐enhancement mechanism achieves ∼60% Faradaic efficiency (FE) in electrocatalytic dehalogenative hydrogenolysis at 300 mA cm −2 . Our strategy demonstrates broad utility across the dehalogenative hydrogenation of other halogenated substrates and the hydrogenation of nitriles/nitro compounds, delivering >10% FE improvements. By coupling bulk diffusion acceleration with interfacial reactant enrichment, this work offers a promising strategy to overcome mass transport limitations in aqueous electrosynthesis.

Source: Angewandte Chemie International Edition

DOI: 10.1002/anie.3824462

Authors: Mingming Yan, Chuanqi Cheng, Bin Zhang, Ying Gao

Institution: Tianjin University

Language: English

Topic: Electrocatalysts for Energy Conversion

Subfield: Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

Field: Energy

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Affordable and clean energy

Open Access status: bronze

Funder: National Natural Science Foundation of China