Phytate Enhances Intermediate Adsorption Kinetics on Nickel for Efficient Primary Aniline Electrooxidation

Nickel (Ni)-based electrocatalysts are promising for use in the primary amine electrooxidation reaction (pAOR) due to the in situ generation of oxygen intermediates on their surface. Herein, phytate-coordinated Ni foam (PA-NF) is reported as an efficient pAOR electrocatalyst with a benzylamine oxidation rate of 1.01 mmol h(-1) and a benzonitrile selectivity of similar to 100 %. Experimental evidence indicated the upshift of the d-band center of the Ni sites after PA coordination and enhancement of the adsorption kinetics of oxygen intermediates on the PA-NF surface during the reaction, resulting in high catalytic performance. This work details a facile strategy for enhancing the pAOR performance of Ni- and other transition-metal-based electrocatalysts.