Yujia Tang, Xiaokun Fan, Kaixuan Zhang, Yuanyuan Sun, Hao Tan, Yukun Zhu*, Lijie Zhang*

Cite this article: Chin. J. Struct. Chem., 2026, 45(11), 101012. DOI: 10.1016/j.cjsc.2026.101012

Publication date: November 1, 2026

Keywords: Electrocatalytic hydrodechlorination; Chlorinated organic compounds; Pd catalysts; Cationic vacancy; H* utilization efficiency

ABSTRACT

Palladium (Pd) is an optimal electrocatalyst for electrocatalytic hydrodechlorination (EHDC), but its activity is severely restricted by the insufficient H∗ generation and low H∗ utilization efficiency. Herein, nano-Pd supported on cation-vacancy-rich Ce1−xO2 (Pd/Ce1−xO2) was synthesized. The excellent water activation property of CeO2 accelerates proton supply and promotes H∗ generation. Meanwhile, abundant cation vacancies facilitate the H∗ adsorption and stabilization, reserving more active H∗ for EHDC. Furthermore, the metal-support interaction (MSI) between Ce1−xO2 and Pd induces electron-rich Pd sites, boosting the adsorption of both H∗ and pollutants. Using 4-chlorophenol (4-CP) as the target pollutant, it achieves 100% 4-CP removal across a concentration range of 20–200 mg L−1. At a 4-CP concentration of 100 mg L−1, its dechlorination activity (DA) reaches 6.2 mmol4-CP gPd−1 min−1, which is 2.7 times that of Pd/CeO2 (2.3 mmol4-CP gPd−1 min−1) and 8.9 times that of pure Pd (0.7 mmol4-CP gPd−1 min−1). Additionally, it displays efficient degradation performance toward various pollutants, coupled with excellent stability and anti-interference ability. This work offers a feasible strategy for the rational design of high-efficiency Pd-based EHDC electrocatalysts.