Selective electrocatalytic conversion of primary alcohols to nitriles on nickel-cobalt nitride/oxide tandem electrocatalyst

Nitriles are vital precursors in the production of pharmaceuticals, advanced materials and many other commercial chemicals. Conventional approaches for nitrile synthesis are limited by the utilization of highly toxic cyanide ion and harsh conditions. The electrochemical conversion of primary alcohols and ammonia to nitriles offers a cost-effective and green approach to prepare nitriles, which requires highly efficient and selective catalysts to drive the cascade reaction and minimize side reactions. Here, we demonstrate how nitriles can be selectively synthesized by electrocatalytic oxidation of benzyl alcohol and ammonia on NiCo nitride and oxide that are co-localized on carbon cloth (NiCo-N,O/CC) electrode. In this electrocatalyst, the oxidation from alcohols to aldehydes is mainly catalyzed by NiCo oxide, while the oxidation from imine to nitrile is mainly catalyzed by NiCo nitride, endorsing preferential oxidation and cascade reactions on these catalytic interfaces. A total faradaic efficiency of 52%, productivity rate of 35 mu mol cm-2h-1 and 70.1% selectivity of nitriles was achieved at 1.53 V vs RHE. The two interface NiCo-N,O/CC tandem electrocatalyst revealed synergistic activity and selectivity superior to NiCo-O/CC with single interface. Our results demonstrate that the utilization of tandem catalytic mechanisms could create new prospects in designing electrocatalysts for cascade reactions.