Generating C4 Alkenes in Solid Oxide Fuel Cells via Cofeeding H(2) and n-Butane Using a Selective Anode Electrocatalyst

[Image: see text] Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) offer opportunities for the application as both power sources and chemical reactors. Yet, it remains a grand challenge to simultaneously achieve high efficiency of transforming higher hydrocarbons to value-added products and of generating electricity. To address it, we here present an ingenious approach of nanoengineering the triple-phase boundary of an SOFC anode, featuring abundant Co(7)W(6)@WO(x) core–shell nanoparticles dispersed on the surface of black La(0.4)Sr(0.6)TiO(3). We also developed a cofeeding strategy, which is centered on concurrently feeding the SOFC anode with H(2) and chemical feedstock. Such combined optimizations enable effective (electro)catalytic dehydrogenation of n-butane to butenes and 1,3-butadiene. The C4 alkene yield is higher than 50% while the peak power density of the SOFC reached 212 mW/cm(2) at 650 °C. In addition, coke formation is largely suppressed and little CO/CO(2) is produced in this process. While this work shows new possibility of chemical–electricity coupling in SOFCs, it might also open bona fide avenues toward the electrocatalytic synthesis of chemicals at higher temperatures.