Energy-Efficient Hydrogen Production via Coupled Small-Molecule Oxidation at Industrial Current Densities

Jiajing Wu; Guangqing Wang; Xikun Wang; Weixiang Guan; Delong Wang; Xirui Xi; Jiaqi Liu; Feng Fu; Ruan Chi; Chunming Yang

doi:10.1007/s12209-026-00480-6

Transactions of Tianjin University ›› 2026, Vol. 32 ›› Issue (2) :193 -218. DOI: 10.1007/s12209-026-00480-6

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Energy-Efficient Hydrogen Production via Coupled Small-Molecule Oxidation at Industrial Current Densities

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¹College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yan’an University, Yan’an Key Laboratory of Green Hydrogen Energy and Biomass Catalytic Conversion, 716000, Yan’an, China

²School of Resource and Safety Engineering, Wuhan Institute of Technology, 430073, Wuhan, China

^a wang_guangqing@yau.edu.cn

^b yadxfufeng@126.com

^c rac@wit.edu.cn

^d chunmingyang@yau.edu.cn

Jiajing Wu

Jiajing Wu graduated from the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Yan’an University, in 2023, and obtained a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. She is currently a postgraduate student pursuing a master’s degree in physical chemistry at Yan’an University. Her research direction focuses on the studies of electrocatalytic HMF oxidation and phenol reduction for value-added reactions.

Guangqing Wang

Guangqing Wang is a lecturer at the School of Chemical Engineering, Yan’an University. His research focuses on the electrocatalytic high-value conversion of organic compounds and hydrogen production. Over the past five years, he has published more than 10 academic papers and has led or participated in over 10 scientific research projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Education Department of Shaanxi Province, and the Department of Science and Technology of Shaanxi Province.

Feng Fu

Feng Fu is a professor and doctoral supervisor at Yan’an University. His research focuses on the development of clean utilization technologies for low-grade coal, environmental catalysis, and photovoltaic (electrochemical) energy storage. Over the past five years, he has published more than 50 papers and led over 10 major research projects, including those funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the National Key Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Central Government’s Key Program for Guiding Local Science and Technology Development.

Ruan Chi

Ruan Chi is a Second-Level Professor, Doctoral Supervisor, and Foreign Academician of the Russian Academy of Engineering at Wuhan University of Technology. He has long been engaged in research in the fields of mineral processing and chemical engineering. He has published over 200 academic papers (including more than 100 indexed in SCI), authored five monographs in Chinese and English, such as Chemical Metallurgy of Weathering Crust Leaching Rare Earth Minerals and Rare Earth Mineral Processing, and holds over 30 national invention patents. He has led more than 30 national and provincial-level research projects, including the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, the National Key Research and Development Program, and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Chunming Yang

Chunming Yang is an Associate Professor at Yan’an University, holding a Ph.D. from Jilin University and postdoctoral experience at Hunan University. He currently serves as Vice Dean of the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, has been selected as a Leading Talent in Science and Technology Innovation for Middle-aged and Young Scholars of Shaanxi Province. He has presided over more than 10 research projects, including 2 from the National Natural Science Foundation of China, the Key Research and Development Program of Shaanxi Province, and the Natural Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province. Focusing on catalytic mechanisms, key materials and devices in energy catalysis, he has published over 60 papers as first or corresponding author in journals such as Nature Communications, Advanced Materials, Matter, Advanced Energy Materials, and ACS Catalysis, among which 12 are ESI Highly Cited Papers.

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Abstract

The anodic small-molecule electrooxidation reaction, which is both thermodynamically and kinetically more favorable than the oxygen evolution reaction, when coupled with the hydrogen evolution reaction, has garnered increasing attention and achieved significant progress. This method presents a promising avenue for hydrogen production at industrial current densities (≥ 200 mA/cm²) via water electrolysis while enabling the synthesis of value-added products or the removal of pollutants. However, the correlations among anode small-molecule types, catalyst design, reaction mechanisms, and electrolytic cell configuration remain unclear at industrial current densities. In this review, the characteristics and challenges of hydrogen production via coupling with various small-molecule oxidation reactions at industrial current densities are discussed for the first time, emphasizing key advances in catalyst design–substrate correlations, reaction mechanisms, and electrolytic cell configuration. Additionally, the challenges and future prospects of this field are explored.

Keywords

Small molecule oxidation / Catalysts design / Reaction mechanism / Industrial current densities

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Jiajing Wu, Guangqing Wang, Xikun Wang, Weixiang Guan, Delong Wang, Xirui Xi, Jiaqi Liu, Feng Fu, Ruan Chi, Chunming Yang. Energy-Efficient Hydrogen Production via Coupled Small-Molecule Oxidation at Industrial Current Densities. Transactions of Tianjin University, 2026, 32(2): 193-218 DOI:10.1007/s12209-026-00480-6

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