2‐Aminobenzenethiol‐Functionalized Silver‐Decorated Nanoporous Silicon Photoelectrodes for Selective CO2 Reduction

A molecularly thin layer of 2‐aminobenzenethiol (2‐ABT) was adsorbed onto nanoporous p‐type silicon (b‐Si) photocathodes decorated with Ag nanoparticles (Ag NPs). The addition of 2‐ABT alters the balance of the CO₂ reduction and hydrogen evolution reactions, resulting in more selective and efficient reduction of CO₂ to CO. The 2‐ABT adsorbate layer was characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and modeled by density functional theory calculations. Ex situ X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of the 2‐ABT modified electrodes suggests that surface Ag atoms are in the +1 oxidation state and coordinated to 2‐ABT via Ag?S bonds. Under visible light illumination, the onset potential for CO₂ reduction was ?50 mV vs. RHE, an anodic shift of about 150 mV relative to a sample without 2‐ABT. The adsorption of 2‐ABT lowers the overpotentials for both CO₂ reduction and hydrogen evolution. A comparison of electrodes functionalized with different aromatic thiols and amines suggests that the primary role of the thiol group in 2‐ABT is to anchor the NH₂ group near the Ag surface, where it serves to bind CO₂ and also to assist in proton transfer.     

MXene-Regulated Metal-Oxide Interfaces with Modified Intermediate Configurations Realizing Nearly 100% CO2 Electrocatalytic Conversion

Electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction via renewable electricity provides a sustainable way to produce valued chemicals, while it suffers from low activity and selectivity. Herein, we constructed a novel catalyst with unique Ti₃C₂T_x MXene-regulated Ag−ZnO interfaces, undercoordinated surface sites, as well as mesoporous nanostructures. The designed Ag−ZnO/Ti₃C₂T_x catalyst achieves an outstanding CO₂ conversion performance of a nearly 100% CO Faraday efficiency with high partial current density of 22.59 mA cm⁻² at −0.87 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode. The electronic donation of Ag and up-shifted d-band center relative to Fermi level within MXene-regulated Ag−ZnO interfaces contributes the high selectivity of CO. The CO₂ conversion is highly correlated with the dominated linear-bonded CO intermediate confirmed by in situ infrared spectroscopy. This work enlightens the rational design of unique metal-oxide interfaces with the regulation of MXene for high-performance electrocatalysis beyond CO₂ reduction.     

Enhanced Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 to CO on Ag/SnO2 by a Synergistic Effect of Morphology and Structural Defects

Silver (Ag)-based materials are considered to be promising materials for electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to produce CO, but the selectivity and efficiency of traditional polycrystalline Ag materials are insufficient; there still exists a great challenge to explore novel modified Ag based materials. Herein, a nanocomposite of Ag and SnO₂ (Ag/SnO₂) for efficient reduction of CO₂ to CO is reported. HRTEM and XRD patterns clearly demonstrated the lattice destruction of Ag and the amorphous SnO₂ in the Ag/SnO₂ nanocomposite. Electrochemical tests indicated the nanocomposite containing 15% SnO₂ possesses highest catalytic selectivity featured by a CO faradaic efficiency (FE) of 99.2% at −0.9 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode (vs RHE) and FE>90% for the CO product at a wide potential range from −0.8 V to −1.4 V vs RHE. Experimental characterization and analysis showed that the high catalytic performance is attributed to not only the branched morphology of Ag/SnO₂ nanocomposites (NCs), which endows the maximum exposure of active sites, but also the special adsorption capacity of abundant defect sites in the crystal for *COOH (the key intermediate of CO formation), which improves the intrinsic activity of the catalyst. But equally important, the existed SnO₂ also plays an important role in inhibiting hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and anchoring defect sites. This work demonstrates the use of crystal defect engineering and synergy in composite to improve the efficiency of electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR).     

Molecular Engineering of Cation Solvation Structure for Highly Selective Carbon Dioxide Electroreduction

Balancing the activation of H₂O is crucial for highly selective CO₂ electroreduction (CO₂RR), as the protonation steps of CO₂RR require fast H₂O dissociation kinetics, while suppressing hydrogen evolution (HER) demands slow H₂O reduction. We herein proposed one molecular engineering strategy to regulate the H₂O activation using aprotic organic small molecules with high Gutmann donor number as a solvation shell regulator. These organic molecules occupy the first solvation shell of K⁺ and accumulate in the electrical double layer, decreasing the H₂O density at the interface and the relative content of proton suppliers (free and coordinated H₂O), suppressing the HER. The adsorbed H₂O was stabilized via the second sphere effect and its dissociation was promoted by weakening the O−H bond, which accelerates the subsequent *CO₂ protonation kinetics and reduces the energy barrier. In the model electrolyte containing 5 M dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) as an additive (KCl-DMSO-5), the highest CO selectivity over Ag foil increased to 99.2 %, with FE_CO higher than 90.0 % within −0.75 to −1.15 V (vs. RHE). This molecular engineering strategy for cation solvation shell can be extended to other metal electrodes, such as Zn and Sn, and organic molecules like N,N-dimethylformamide.     

Redox Replacement of Silver on MOF-Derived Cu/C Nanoparticles on Gas Diffusion Electrodes for Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction

Bimetallic tandem catalysts have emerged as a promising strategy to locally increase the CO flux during electrochemical CO₂ reduction, so as to maximize the rate of conversion to C−C-coupled products. Considering this, a novel Cu/C−Ag nanostructured catalyst has been prepared by a redox replacement process, in which the ratio of the two metals can be tuned by the replacement time. An optimum Cu/Ag composition with similarly sized particles showed the highest CO₂ conversion to C₂₊ products compared to non-Ag-modified gas-diffusion electrodes. Gas chromatography and in-situ Raman measurements in a CO₂ gas diffusion cell suggest the formation of top-bound linear adsorbed *CO followed by consumption of CO in the successive cascade steps, as evidenced by the increasingνC−H bands. These findings suggest that two mechanisms operate simultaneously towards the production of HCO₂H and C−C-coupled products on the Cu/Ag bimetallic surface.     

Bicomponent Cocatalyst Decoration on Flux-assisted CaTaO2N Single Crystals for Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction under Visible Light

Cubic-like CaTaO₂N photocatalysts with high crystallinity and uniform particle size were successfully prepared by the flux-assisted nitridation method. The growth of CaTaO₂N single crystals under different synthesis conditions was systematically investigated to understand the effects of the crystallinity and optical property on photocatalytic performance of CO₂ reduction. Moreover, the modification of CaTaO₂N single crystals with core-shell Ni−Ag bicomponent cocatalyst by two-step decoration process gave a 2.4 times higher amount of CO evolution than the deposition of sole Ag cocatalyst, because of the synergistic effects of bicomponent cocatalyst on the interfacial electron transfer and surface catalytic process. This study provides a valuable way to construct high-crystalline photocatalysts with effective bicomponent cocatalyst for visible-light-driven CO₂ reduction with H₂O.     

Insight into the Formation and Transfer Process of the First Intermediate of CO2 Reduction over Ag-Decorated Dendritic Cu

It is still poorly understood how the first intermediates of CO₂ reduction are formed and converted to multi-carbon products over Cu-based electrodes. Herein, Ag is used to decorate dendritic Cu and a high Faradaic efficiency (FE) for C₂H₄ (25 %) is obtained on a CuAg electrode, which is about five times higher than dendritic Cu. The intermediates including *CO₂⁻, OH groups, Cu-CO, C-O rotation, and CH_x species are investigated by in situ Raman spectroscopy. This work provides spectroscopic evidence that the first intermediate of CO₂ reduction on Ag-decorated Cu is carboxylate anion *CO₂⁻ bonded with the catalyst surface through the C and O atom. The formation and evolution process of the *CO₂⁻ intermediate over the applied potential are investigated in depth as well. This research contributes to a better understanding of the mechanism of CO₂ reduction and multi-carbon product formation pathways over Ag-decorated Cu.     

Operando NRIXS and XAFS Investigation of Segregation Phenomena in Fe-Cu and Fe-Ag Nanoparticle Catalysts during CO2 Electroreduction

Operando nuclear resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (NRIXS) and X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy (XAFS) measurements were used to gain insight into the structure and surface composition of FeCu and FeAg nanoparticles (NPs) during the electrochemical CO₂ reduction (CO₂RR) and to extract correlations with their catalytic activity and selectivity. The formation of a core–shell structure during CO₂RR for FeAg NPs was inferred from the analysis of the operando NRIXS data (phonon density of states, PDOS) and XAFS measurements. Electrochemical analysis of the FeAg NPs revealed a faradaic selectivity of 36 % for CO in 0.1 M KHCO₃ at −1.1 V vs. RHE, similar to that of pure Ag NPs. In contrast, a predominant selectivity towards H₂ evolution is obtained in the case of the FeCu NPs, analogous to the results obtained for pure Fe NPs, although small Cu NPs have also been shown to favor H₂ production.     

Single-Layer 2D Ni−BDC MOF Obtained in Supercritical CO2-Assisted Aqueous Solution

The development of an efficient strategy for fabricating two-dimensional metal-organic framework (MOF) nanosheets with high yield and high stability is desirable. Herein, we demonstrate for the first time that large, single-layer 2D nickel-benzene dicarboxylate (Ni−BDC) MOF nanosheets can be fabricated with the assistance of supercritical (SC) CO₂ in a pure aqueous system. Detailed experimental evidence reveals that the SC CO₂ molecule can exchange with the lattice-coordinated H₂O molecules, side-on coordinate with the metal Ni¹ sites on the Ni−BDC surface, and finally break the interlayer hydrogen bond to exfoliate the bulk Ni−BDC into a 2D MOF. More importantly, a thin SC CO₂ layer building up at the water−Ni−BDC interfaces can transform the pristine hydrophilic interface into a super-hydrophobic one. This super-hydrophobic layer at the water-MOF interface can effectively prevent dissociation, thus promoting the stability of Ni−BDC in aqueous system.     

Covalently Grafting Graphene onto Si Photocathode to Expedite Aqueous Photoelectrochemical CO2 Reduction

Silicon semiconductor functionalized with molecular catalysts emerges as a promising cathode for photoelectrochemical (PEC) CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR). However, the limited kinetics and stabilities remains a major hurdle for the development of such composites. We herein report an assembling strategy of silicon photocathodes via chemically grafting a conductive graphene layer onto the surface of n⁺-p Si followed by catalyst immobilization. The covalently-linked graphene layer effectively enhances the photogenerated carriers transfer between the cathode and the reduction catalyst, and improves the operating stability of the electrode. Strikingly, we demonstrate that altering the stacking configuration of the immobilized cobalt tetraphenylporphyrin (CoTPP) catalyst through calcination can further enhance the electron transfer rate and the PEC performance. At the end, the graphene-coated Si cathode immobilized with CoTPP catalyst managed to sustain a stable 1-Sun photocurrent of −1.65 mA cm⁻² over 16 h for CO production in water at a near neutral potential of −0.1 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode. This represents a remarkable improvement of PEC CO₂RR performance in contrast to the reported photocathodes functionalized with molecular catalysts.     

Wurtzite CuGaS2 with an In-Situ-Formed CuO Layer Photocatalyzes CO2 Conversion to Ethylene with High Selectivity

We present surface reconstruction-induced C−C coupling whereby CO₂ is converted into ethylene. The wurtzite phase of CuGaS_2. undergoes in situ surface reconstruction, leading to the formation of a thin CuO layer over the pristine catalyst, which facilitates selective conversion of CO₂ to ethylene (C₂H₄). Upon illumination, the catalyst efficiently converts CO₂ to C₂H₄ with 75.1 % selectivity (92.7 % selectivity in terms of R_electron) and a 20.6 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ evolution rate. Subsequent spectroscopic and microscopic studies supported by theoretical analysis revealed operando-generated Cu²⁺, with the assistance of existing Cu⁺, functioning as an anchor for the generated *CO and thereby facilitating C−C coupling. This study demonstrates strain-induced in situ surface reconstruction leading to heterojunction formation, which finetunes the oxidation state of Cu and modulates the CO₂ reduction reaction pathway to selective formation of ethylene.     

Hydride Formation Diminishes CO2 Reduction Rate on Palladium

The catalytic hydrogenation of CO₂ includes the dissociation of hydrogen and further reaction with CO₂ and intermediates. We investigate how the amount of hydrogen in the bulk of the catalyst affects the hydrogenation reaction taking place at the surface. For this, we developed an experimental setup described herein, based on a magnetic suspension balance and an infrared spectrometer, and measured pressure-composition isotherms of the Pd−H system under conditions relevant for CO₂ reduction. The addition of CO₂ has no influence on the measured hydrogen absorption isotherms. The pressure dependence of the CO formation rate changes suddenly upon formation of the β-PdH phase. This effect is attributed to a smaller surface coverage of hydrogen due to repulsive electronic interactions affecting both bulk and surface hydrogen.     

Cu/CdCO3 catalysts for efficient electrochemical CO2 reduction over the wide potential window

High efficiency and low-cost catalyst-driven electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction to CO production are of great significance for energy storage and development. The severe competitive hydrogen evolution reaction occurs at large negative potential window limits the achievement of the target product from CO₂ at high efficiency. Here, we successfully prepared Cu_x/CdCO₃ composite catalyst rich in interfaces, in which achieved high CO Faraday efficiency exceeded 90% in a wide potential window of 700 mV and highest value up to 97.9% at −0.90 V vs. RHE. The excellent performance can be ascribed to the positive contribution of Cu_x/CdCO₃, which maintains a suitable high local pH value during electrochemical reduction, thus inhibiting the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction. Moreover, the compact structure between Cu and CdCO₃ ensures fast electron transfer both inside catalysts and interface, thus speeding up the reaction kinetics of CO₂ to CO conversion. Theoretically calculations further prove that the combination of Cu and CdCO₃ provides the well-defined electronic structure for intermediates adsorption, significantly reducing the reaction barrier for the formation of CO. This work provides new insights into the design of efficient electrochemical CO₂ reduction catalysts for inhibiting hydrogen evolution by adjusting the local pH effect.     

Regulating Efficient and Selective Single-atom Catalysts for Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction

Anchoring transition metal (TM) atoms on suitable substrates to form single-atom catalysts (SACs) is a novel approach to constructing electrocatalysts. Graphdiyne with sp−sp² hybridized carbon atoms and uniformly distributed pores have been considered as a potential carbon material for supporting metal atoms in a variety of catalytic processes. Herein, density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed to study the single TM atom anchoring on graphdiyne (TM₁−GDY, TM=Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Co and Cu) as the catalysts for CO₂ reduction. After anchoring metal atoms on GDY, the catalytic activity of TM₁−GDY (TM=Mn, Co and Cu) for CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) are significantly improved comparing with the pristine GDY. Among the studied TM₁−GDY, Cu₁−GDY shows excellent electrocatalytic activity for CO₂ reduction for which the product is HCOOH and the limiting potential (U_L) is −0.16 V. Mn₁−GDY and Co₁−GDY exhibit superior catalytic selectivity for CO₂ reduction to CH₄ with U_L of −0.62 and −0.34 V, respectively. The hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) by TM₁−GDY (TM=Mn, Co and Cu) occurs on carbon atoms, while the active sites of CO₂RR are the transition metal atoms . The present work is expected to provide a solid theoretical basis for CO₂ conversion into valuable hydrocarbons.     

CO2 Reduction Mechanism on the Cu2O(110) Surface: A First-Principles Study

Cu₂O is an attractive catalyst for the selective reduction of CO₂ to methanol. However, the mechanism of the reaction and the role of the Cu species in different oxidation states are not well understood yet. In this work, by first-principles calculations, we investigate the mechanism of the reaction on the Cu₂O(110) surface, which is the most selective for methanol, in different degrees of reduction: ideal surface, slightly reduced surface (SRS), and partially reduced surface (PRS). The most favorable reaction pathways on the three surfaces were identified. We found that Cu(I) on the ideal surface is not capable of chemisorbing CO₂, but surface oxygen serves as the active site which selectively converts CO₂ to CH₃OH with a limiting potential of −0.77 V. The Cu(0) on the SRS and PRS promotes the adsorption and reduction of CO₂, while the removal of the residue O* becomes potential/rate limiting with a more negative limiting potential than the ideal surface. The SRS is selective to methanol while the PRS becomes selective to methane. The result suggests that the key to high methanol selectivity is to avoid the reduction of Cu(I), which provides a new strategy for the design of more efficient catalysts for selective CO₂ reduction to methanol.     

贵金属负载TiO2对光催化还原CO2选择性的影响

利用光沉积方法在TiO₂表面分别负载1%(质量分数) Pt、Pd、Au和Ag助催化剂.用TEM、XRD、UV-vis等技术对催化剂进行了表征,并利用连续瞬态电流时间响应和线性扫描伏安法等电化学方法,对贵金属负载的TiO₂光催化剂在光照条件下的电流响应强度及电催化析氢电位等特性加以测试.分析了贵金属助催化剂对光催化还原CO₂性能的差异.结果表明,负载贵金属助催化剂能显著加速光生电子空穴的分离,降低复合率;另外,助催化剂对还原CO₂选择性的顺序为Ag>Au>Pd>Pt.贵金属助催化剂还原CO₂的加氢选择性和析氢过电位存在相关性,即越不利于析氢过程的助催化剂,其催化CO₂加氢还原产物的选择性越高.     

Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 at Coinage Metal Nanodendrites in Aqueous Ethanolamine

Electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ into usable chemicals is a promising path to address climate change and energy challenges. Herein, we demonstrate the synthesis of unique coinage metal (Cu, Ag, and Au) nanodendrites (NDs) via a facile galvanic replacement reaction (GRR), which can be effective electrocatalysts for the reduction of CO₂ in an ethanolamine (EA) solution. Each metal ND surface was directly grown on glassy-carbon (GC) substrates from a mixture of Zn dust and the respective precursor solution. The electrocatalytic activities of the synthesized ND surfaces were optimized for CO₂ reduction in EA solution by varying their composition. It was determined that a 0.05 mol fraction of EA exhibited the highest catalytic activity for all metal NDs. Linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) techniques showed that metal-ND electrodes possessed higher current densities, lower onset potentials and lower charge-transfer resistances for CO₂ reduction than their smooth polycrystalline electrode counterparts, indicating improved CO₂ reduction catalytic activity. It was determined, using FTIR and NMR spectroscopy, that formate was produced as a result of the CO₂ reduction.     

Atomically Dispersed Nickel(I) on an Alloy-Encapsulated Nitrogen-Doped Carbon Nanotube Array for High-Performance Electrochemical CO2 Reduction Reaction

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) show great promise for electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (CRR), but the low density of active sites and the poor electrical conduction and mass transport of the single-atom electrode greatly limit their performance. Herein, we prepared a nickel single-atom electrode consisting of isolated, high-density and low-valent nickel(I) sites anchored on a self-standing N-doped carbon nanotube array with nickel–copper alloy encapsulation on a carbon-fiber paper. The combination of single-atom nickel(I) sites and self-standing array structure gives rise to an excellent electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction performance. The introduction of copper tunes the d-band electron configuration and enhances the adsorption of hydrogen, which impedes the hydrogen evolution reaction. The single-nickel-atom electrode exhibits a specific current density of −32.87 mA cm⁻² and turnover frequency of 1962 h⁻¹ at a mild overpotential of 620 mV for CO formation with 97 % Faradic efficiency.     

Metal‐Free Fluorine‐Doped Carbon Electrocatalyst for CO2 Reduction Outcompeting Hydrogen Evolution

The electrochemical CO₂ reduction (ECDRR), as a key reaction in artificial photosynthesis to implement renewable energy conversion/storage, has been inhibited by the low efficiency and high costs of the electrocatalysts. Herein, we synthesize a fluorine‐doped carbon (FC) catalyst by pyrolyzing commercial BP 2000 with a fluorine source, enabling a highly selective CO₂‐to‐CO conversion with a maximum Faradaic efficiency of 90 % at a low overpotential of 510 mV and a small Tafel slope of 81 mV dec^?1, outcompeting current metal‐free catalysts. Moreover, the higher partial current density of CO and lower partial current density of H₂ on FC relative to pristine carbon suggest an enhanced inherent activity towards ECDRR as well as a suppressed hydrogen evolution by fluorine doping. Fluorine doping activates the neighbor carbon atoms and facilitates the stabilization of the key intermediate COOH* on the fluorine‐doped carbon material, which are also blocked for competing hydrogen evolution, resulting in superior CO₂‐to‐CO conversion.     

Tailoring Copper Nanocrystals towards C2 Products in Electrochemical CO2 Reduction

Favoring the CO₂ reduction reaction (CO2RR) over the hydrogen evolution reaction and controlling the selectivity towards multicarbon products are currently major scientific challenges in sustainable energy research. It is known that the morphology of the catalyst can modulate catalytic activity and selectivity, yet this remains a relatively underexplored area in electrochemical CO₂ reduction. Here, we exploit the material tunability afforded by colloidal chemistry to establish unambiguous structure/property relations between Cu nanocrystals and their behavior as electrocatalysts for CO₂ reduction. Our study reveals a non‐monotonic size‐dependence of the selectivity in cube‐shaped copper nanocrystals. Among 24 nm, 44 nm and 63 nm cubes tested, the cubes with 44 nm edge length exhibited the highest selectivity towards CO2RR (80 %) and faradaic efficiency for ethylene (41 %). Statistical analysis of the surface atom density suggests the key role played by edge sites in CO2RR.