生物柴油工业的蓬勃发展带来大量副产品丙三醇(甘油),因此如何将甘油转化为高附加值产品具有重要的研究价值。在各种方法中, 电催化氧化由于其条件温和、环境友好和高效率而备受关注。然而,甘油的电氧化非常复杂,涉及许多反应途径和多个电子和质子转移过程,如何合理设计对目标产物具有高选择性的催化剂是很大的挑战。在本文中, 我们主要概述了铂和钯基催化剂上甘油电氧化研究的最新进展。我们首先总结了基于原位和在线谱学研究以及理论计算获得的影响其电催化活性和选择性的因素。然后,选择代表性文献来说明这些因素如何应用于研制高效甘油电氧化催化剂。最后,提出了未来研究中要解决的关键问题。

The conversion of glycerol to value-added products has received considerable attention recently because the booming biodiesel industry produces a large amount of glycerol as a byproduct. Among various means, electrocatalytic oxidation of glycerol is appealing owing to its environmental friendliness and high efficiency. However, electrooxidation of glycerol is very complex, involving multiple electron and proton transfer processes with many reaction pathways. How to rationally design catalysts with high selectivity toward targeted products is an overarching challenge, and of both fundamental and practical significance. In this minireview we aim to provide an overview of recent advancements in electrooxidation of glycerol focusing mainly on Pt- and Pd-based catalysts. We start with summarizing fundamental understandings of factors dictating catalytic activity and selectivity garnered from in-situ and online spectrometric experimental studies as well as from theoretical works. We then use selective examples to demonstrate how these factors are manifested in the development of highly efficient glycerol electrooxidation catalysts. Finally, we summarize the key issues to be addressed in future studies.