Silver nanoparticles catalyzed electrochemical hydrodechlorination of dichloromethane to methane in N,N-Dimethylformamide using water as hydrogen donor

Silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) were modified on Ag electrode in situ using the electrochemical redox method. The electrochemical hydrodechlorination (EHDC) performance of Ag NPs in N,N-Dimethylformamide (DMF) for a representative chlorinated volatile organic compound, dichloromethane (DCM), was studied. The results revealed that a large number of Ag NPs (∼7 nm) were successfully deposited on the surface of Ag electrode. Be benefit to Nano effect, Ag NPs exhibited higher EHDC catalytic activity than bulk Ag and inhibited H2 evolution. Under the catalysis of Ag NPs, the dechlorination of two Cl atoms on DCM was changed from synchronous dechlorination to asynchronous dechlorination. The EHDC efficiency of DCM in the three DMFs ranked from high to low as follows: weakly alkaline > Neutral > Weakly acidic. DCM at concentrations of 10–150 mM can be hydrodechlorinated to methane with ≥90% yield and ≥35% current efficiency. © 2023 Elsevier B. V.