Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is one of the most used polymers, but the non-degradable and persistent nature of PET waste in the environment is a global menace. Hence upcycling PET waste becomes indispensable. Herein, we introduce the first metal-free electrochemical-upcycling of PET into value-added chemicals and H2 fuel using an organo-electrocatalyst (2,2,6,6-Tetramethylpiperidin-1-yl)oxyl (TEMPO). Electrolysis at pH 10 produces glycolate and oxalate exclusively while at pH 14, over-oxidation and subsequent C-C bond cleavage produce formate and carbonate as well. Tuning the rate and product selectivity via pH regulation with mechanistic insight displays a sustainable route to implement waste PET recycling.

中文翻译：

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无金属电催化聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯塑料升级为C2产品


聚对苯二甲酸乙二醇酯 (PET) 是最常用的聚合物之一，但 PET 废物在环境中的不可降解性和持久性是一个全球性的威胁。因此，对 PET 废物进行升级改造变得必不可少。在此，我们首次使用有机电催化剂 (2,2,6,6-四甲基哌啶-1-基)氧基 (TEMPO) 将 PET 电化学升级为增值化学品和氢气燃料。 pH 10 时的电解仅产生乙醇酸盐和草酸盐，而 pH 14 时，过度氧化和随后的 C-C 键断裂也会产生甲酸盐和碳酸盐。通过 pH 调节和机理洞察来调整速率和产品选择性，展示了实施废 PET 回收的可持续途径。