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<Press Release>Electrochemical Production of Glycolic Acid from Oxalic Acid Using a Polymer Electrolyte Alcohol Electrosynthesis Cell Containing a Porous TiO2 Catalyst

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Assis. Prof. Masaaki Sadakiyo, Dr. Manabu Higashi, and Prof. Miho Yamauchi(Catalytic Materials Transformations Division, I2CNER) and their collaborators published a research paper in Scientific Reports.

 

A liquid flow-type electrolyser that continuously produces an alcohol from a carboxylic acid was constructed by employing a polymer electrolyte, named a polymer electrolyte alcohol electrosynthesis cell (PEAEC). Glycolic acid (GC, an alcoholic compound) is generated on anatase TiO2 catalysts via four-electron reduction of oxalic acid (OX, a divalent carboxylic acid), accompanied with water oxidation, which achieves continuous electric power storage in easily stored GC. Porous anatase TiO2 directly grown on Ti mesh (TiO2/Ti-M) or Ti felt (TiO2/Ti-F) was newly fabricated as a cathode having favourable substrate diffusivity. A membrane-electrode assembly composed of the TiO2/Ti-M, Nafion 117, and an IrO2 supported on a gas-diffusion carbon electrode (IrO2/C) was applied to the PEAEC. We achieved a maximum energy conversion efficiency of 49.6% and a continuous 99.8% conversion of 1 M OX, which is an almost saturated aqueous solution at room temperature.

Title: Sharing Information for “Electrochemical Production of Glycolic Acid from Oxalic Acid Using a Polymer Electrolyte Alcohol Electrosynthesis Cell Containing a Porous TiO 2 Catalyst”

Authors: Masaaki Sadakiyo, Shinichi Hata, Xuedong Cui, Miho Yamauchi

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-17036-3

Published online: 12 December 2017