Selective Nanomaterials for Glucose-to-Gluconate Oxidation in an Electrochemical Energy Converter: Cogenerating Organic Electrosynthesis

The design of cogeneration devices is of paramount importance to cut down the overall utilization cost. For instance, the heat resulting from the operation of electrochemical technologies such as fuel cells can be concomitantly harvested and used in addition to the produced renewable, affordable, and relatively clean energy. There is another elegant alternative, which uses an organic molecule as a fuel for a simultaneous chemicals production from the selective operation at the anode material. Within this proceeding, we contribute by synthesizing nanomaterials to design and fabricate effective electrodes capable of a selective glucose-to-gluconate oxidation within an electrochemical energy converter, towards the ultimate goal of cogenerating organic electrosynthesis. Complementary methods of physical and (electro)analytical chemistry were integrated to interrogate the mysterious workings of anodic electrocatalysts. These interdisciplinary and preliminary results encourage researchers among the triple community of electrochemistry/electrocatalysis, material science and organic chemistry to move forward together.