Electrochemically mediated disproportionation for selective formaldehyde upcycling in acid
- Yun Song
- Zhaohua Zhu
- Tridip Das
- Aarya D. Riasati
- Jianjun Su
- Weihua Guo
- Yong Liu
- Geng Li
- Yinger Xin
- Qiang Zhang
- Mingming He
- Ruixuan Wang
- Rui Xue
- Shenlong Zhao
- Chuan Xia
- Ben Zhong Tang
- Marc Robert
- Xin Wang
- William A. Goddard
- Ruquan Ye
2026-03-18
Formaldehyde (FA) electrolysis is attractive for paired production of value‑added chemicals. However, conventional electrolysis adopts alkaline electrolytes, which triggers FA self-disproportionation and severe feed loss. Here we introduce a sustainable and selective strategy for valorizing FA through electrochemically mediated disproportionation in acidic electrolytes. By leveraging a dual-electrode system consisting of a hydrophobic copper tetraminophthalocyanine layer (CuTAPc-layer) cathode and a Pt 2 Ru bimetallic anode, we efficiently convert FA into methanol and formic acid at high Faradaic efficiencies of 93.2% and 91.3%, respectively. Compared with alkaline FA oxidation, which can lose up to 76% FA and complicate downstream separation, the acidic system suppresses side reactions to ensure high product purity. Mechanism studies reveal that the hydrophobic microenvironment of CuTAPc-layer suppresses hydrogen evolution, while the stronger oxophilicity of Pt 2 Ru enhances FA activation and lowers the key deprotonation barrier for FA oxidation. The integrated device demonstrates application potential in polyoxymethylene upgrading, delivering 374.2 mA at 4 V with ~90% single-pass conversion, establishing a scalable and eco-friendly electrochemical pathway for chemical upcycling.