Electrocatalytic upcycling of PET-derived products: Catalyst design, C1 - C2 products, and coupled electrochemical reactions

The accumulation of plastic waste represents both a global environmental crisis and a largely untapped source of carbon feedstocks. Electrocatalytic upcycling of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) has emerged as a promising energy-efficient strategy to convert plastic-derived ethylene glycol into value-added C 1 -C 2 chemicals, including glycolic acid and formic acid, under mild operating conditions. This review summarizes recent advances in electrocatalyst design for PET upcycling, including defect-engineered, single-atom catalyst, and heterostructured interfaces, with a focus on how catalyst structure regulates interfacial charge transfer, oxidation pathways, and product selectivity. Beyond catalyst development, we highlight integrated electrocatalytic platforms that couple PET-derived anodic oxidation with value-added cathodic CO 2 or nitrate reduction, thereby lowering cell voltage and enabling co-production of value-added chemicals (e.g., ammonia, cyclohexanone oxime). Insights from in situ spectroscopy and computational modeling elucidate critical structure-function relationships, while process-level analyses underscore scalability and energy efficiency. Finally, key challenges and future opportunities related to reactor design, energy efficiency, and scalability are outlined, positioning electrocatalytic plastic-to-chemicals refineries as a viable pathway toward circular carbon utilization and sustainable energy systems. Electrocatalytic upcycling of polyethylene terephthalate enables selective conversion of PET-derived intermediates into value-added C 1 and C 2 chemicals through advanced catalyst and paired-reaction engineering. • This review summarizes recent progress in electrocatalytic upcycling of polyethylene terephthalate into C 1 -C 2 chemicals. • Reaction pathways, key intermediates, and interfacial charge-transfer processes governing PET electro-oxidation are elucidated. • This review discusses structure-performance relationships of electrocatalysts and strategies for regulating activity and selectivity. • Integrated electrochemical energy-conversion platforms and paired electrolysis strategies for PET valorization are highlighted. • Challenges and future prospects toward energy-efficient plastic-to-chemicals electro-refineries are outlined.