Rare-earth-metal-alloyed mesoporous PtPb nanosheets for selective electrosynthesis of glyceric acid from glycerol upcycling

Achieving selective electrosynthesis during glycerol oxidation remains challenging due to the complexity of multi-pathway reaction mechanisms. In a recent study, Liu, Che, and colleagues introduced a yttrium-alloyed PtPb mesoporous nanosheet (PtPbY MNS) electrocatalyst, achieving a glyceric acid yield of 656 μmol mgcat-1 h-1 with 72.5% selectivity. The enhanced performance is attributed to the mesoporous structural design and the incorporation of yttrium, which modulate the surface electronic structure of Pt and the chemisorption behavior of reactive species. These findings provide mechanistic insights into how catalyst microstructure and composition govern electrocatalytic pathways for biomass-derived feedstocks.