Differentiated adsorption of intermediates on high-entropy intermetallic metallene promotes selective electrocatalytic upgrading of PET plastics to glycolic acid

• • HEI-PdPtCuInBiene achieves a Faradaic efficiency of 99.87% for glycolic acid production from PET-derived ethylene glycol, representing near-quantitative selectivity that minimizes byproduct formation and downstream purification costs. • • The catalyst attains a production rate of 1.47 mmol h−1 cm−2, indicating industrially relevant throughput for continuous electrochemical upcycling processes. • • Techno-economic analysis projects a profitability of ~$784.9 per tonne of PET processed, demonstrating economic viability superior to conventional recycling routes that yield low-value C1 products. • • Mechanistic studies confirm that strong p-d orbital hybridization and synergistic electronic effects among Pd, Pt, and Cu suppress C–C bond cleavage, addressing the long-standing challenge of catalyst deactivation and low selectivity in EGOR.