Minireview and Outlook on Mechanistic Decoding and Advanced Catalysts for Methanol/Ethanol Oxidation Reaction

Direct methanol and ethanol fuel cells, along with methanol- and ethanol-assisted water splitting, represent crucial technologies for sustainable energy conversion and storage solutions. However, the inherently slow kinetics of the oxidation reactions for methanol and ethanol present a considerable obstacle, which hampers both efficiency and overall performance, thus impeding their widespread commercial adoption. This paper provides a systematic review of the progress made in methanol and ethanol oxidation, dividing it into two categories: complete oxidation and selective oxidation. Complete oxidation involves the full transformation of methanol or ethanol into carbon dioxide and water, whereas selective oxidation focuses on producing value-added chemicals or facilitating hydrogen evolution. The study highlights advancements in alloys, core–shell configurations, heterostructures, and single-atom catalysts. Ultimately, viewpoints regarding the future direction of research into the mechanisms and design of electrocatalysts are presented.