A Planar,Conjugated N4‐Macrocyclic Cobalt Complex for Heterogeneous Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction with High Activity

Metal complexes have been widely investigated as promising electrocatalysts for CO₂ reduction. Most of the current research efforts focus mainly on ligands based on pyrrole subunits, and the reported activities are still far from satisfactory. A novel planar and conjugated N₄‐macrocyclic cobalt complex (Co(II)CPY) derived from phenanthroline subunits is prepared herein, and it delivers high activity for heterogeneous CO₂ electrocatalysis to CO in aqueous media, and outperforms most of the metal complexes reported so far. At a molar loading of 5.93×10^?8 mol cm^?2, it exhibits a Faradaic efficiency of 96 % and a turnover frequency of 9.59 s^?1 towards CO at ?0.70 V vs. RHE. The unraveling of electronic structural features suggests that a synergistic effect between the ligand and cobalt in Co(II)CPY plays a critical role in boosting its activity. As a result, the free energy difference for the formation of *COOH is lower than that with cobalt porphyrin, thus leading to enhanced CO production.     

Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction with a Half‐Sandwich Cobalt Catalyst: Selectivity towards CO

We present herein a Cp*Co(III)‐half‐sandwich catalyst system for electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction in aqueous acetonitrile solution. In addition to an electron‐donating Cp* ligand (Cp*=pentamethylcyclopentadienyl), the catalyst featured a proton‐responsive pyridyl‐benzimidazole‐based N,N‐bidentate ligand. Owing to the presence of a relatively electron‐rich Co center, the reduced Co(I)‐state was made prone to activate the electrophilic carbon center of CO₂. At the same time, the proton‐responsive benzimidazole scaffold was susceptible to facilitate proton‐transfer during the subsequent reduction of CO₂. The above factors rendered the present catalyst active toward producing CO as the major product over the other potential 2e/2H⁺ reduced product HCOOH, in contrast to the only known similar half‐sandwich CpCo(III)‐based CO₂‐reduction catalysts which produced HCOOH selectively. The system exhibited a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of about 70% while the overpotential for CO production was found to be 0.78 V, as determined by controlled‐potential electrolysis.     

Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction: from Discrete Molecular Catalysts to Their Integrated Catalytic Materials

Molecular catalysts (metal complexes), with molecularly defined uniform active sites and atomically precise structural tailorability allowing for regulating catalytic performance through metal- and ligand-centered engineering and elucidating reaction mechanisms via routine photoelectrochemical characterizations, have been increasingly explored for electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction (ECR). However, their poor stability and low catalytic current density are undesirable for practical applications. Heterogenizing discrete molecular catalysts can potentially surmount these issues, and the resulting integrated catalysts largely share catalytical properties with their discrete molecular counterparts, which bridge the gap between heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysis and combine their advantages. This minireview surveys advances in design and regulation of molecular catalysts such as porphyrin, phthalocyanine, and bipyridine-based metal complexes and their integrated catalytic materials for selective ECR.     

Nanostructures for Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction

One of the most effective ways to cope with the problems of global warming and the energy shortage crisis is to develop renewable and clean energy sources. To achieve a carbon-neutral energy cycle, advanced carbon sequestration technologies are urgently needed, but because CO₂ is a thermodynamically stable molecule with the highest carbon valence state of +4, this process faces many challenges. In recent years, electrochemical CO₂ reduction has become a promising approach to fix and convert CO₂ into high-value-added fuels and chemical feedstock. However, the large-scale commercial use of electrochemical CO₂ reduction systems is hindered by poor electrocatalyst activity, large overpotential, low energy conversion efficiency, and product selectivity in reducing CO₂. Therefore, there is an urgent need to rationally design highly efficient, stable, and scalable electrocatalysts to alleviate these problems. This minireview also aims to classify heterogeneous nanostructured electrocatalysts for the CO₂ reduction reaction (CDRR).     

Metal-Based Aerogels Catalysts for Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction

General strategies for metal aerogel synthesis, including single-metal, transition-metal doped, multi-metal-doped, and nano-metal-doped carbon aerogel are described. In addition, the latest applications of several of the above-mentioned metal aerogels in electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction are discussed. Finally, considering the possibility of future applications of electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction technology, a vision for industrialization and directions that can be optimized are proposed.     

Nanostructured Materials for Heterogeneous Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction and their Related Reaction Mechanisms

The gradually increased concentration of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere has been recognized as the primary culprit for the rise of the global mean temperature. In recent years, development of routes for highly efficient conversion of CO₂ has received much attention. This Review describes recent progress on the design and synthesis of solid‐state catalysts for the electrochemical reduction of CO₂. The significance of this catalytic conversion is presented, followed by the general parameters for CO₂ electroreduction and a summary of the reaction apparatus. We also discuss various types of solid catalysts based on their CO₂ conversion mechanisms. We summarize the crucial factors (particle size, surface structure, composition, etc.) determining the performance for electroreduction.     

Surface Reconstruction of Ultrathin Palladium Nanosheets during Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction

A surface reconstructing phenomenon is discovered on a defect-rich ultrathin Pd nanosheet catalyst for aqueous CO₂ electroreduction. The pristine nanosheets with dominant (111) facet sites are transformed into crumpled sheet-like structures prevalent in electrocatalytically active (100) sites. The reconstruction increases the density of active sites and reduces the CO binding strength on Pd surfaces, remarkably promoting the CO₂ reduction to CO. A high CO Faradaic efficiency of 93 % is achieved with a site-specific activity of 6.6 mA cm⁻² at a moderate overpotential of 590 mV on the reconstructed 50 nm Pd nanosheets. Experimental and theoretical studies suggest the CO intermediate as a key factor driving the structural transformation during CO₂ reduction. This study highlights the dynamic nature of defective metal nanosheets under reaction conditions and suggests new opportunities in surface engineering of 2D metal nanostructures to tune their electrocatalytic performance.     

氮化铌电催化还原CO2

通过电化学的方法将CO₂转化为CO是解决资源和环境问题的经济友好的策略。在本次工作中,利用湿化学方法制备了铌/碳的前驱体,在NH₃和Ar氛围下煅烧后分别转化为Nb₄N₅/C和Nb₂O₅/C。当氮化温度达到700℃时,制备的Nb₄N₅/C表现出优异的催化活性,在CO₂饱和的0.5 mol·L^-1的NaCl溶液中,电解电位为-0.83V（RHE）时,CO的法拉第效率最高,达到57%。实验结果表明,Nb₄N₅/C的催化活性与Nb₄N₅中的N掺杂有关。     

Catholyte‐Free Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction to Formate

Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into value‐added chemicals is a promising strategy to reduce CO₂ emission and mitigate climate change. One of the most serious problems in electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction (CO₂R) is the low solubility of CO₂ in an aqueous electrolyte, which significantly limits the cathodic reaction rate. This paper proposes a facile method of catholyte‐free electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction to avoid the solubility limitation using commercial tin nanoparticles as a cathode catalyst. Interestingly, as the reaction temperature rises from 303 K to 363 K, the partial current density (PCD) of formate improves more than two times with 52.9 mA cm^?2, despite the decrease in CO₂ solubility. Furthermore, a significantly high formate concentration of 41.5 g L^?1 is obtained as a one‐path product at 343 K with high PCD (51.7 mA cm^?2) and high Faradaic efficiency (93.3 %) via continuous operation in a full flow cell at a low cell voltage of 2.2 V.     

Electroreduction of CO2 to Formate with Low Overpotential using Cobalt Pyridine Thiolate Complexes

Electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction to value-added products provides a viable alternative to the use of carbon sources derived from fossil fuels. Carrying out these transformations at reasonable energetic costs, for example, with low overpotential, remains a challenge. Molecular catalysts allow fine control of activity and selectivity via tuning of their coordination sphere and ligand set. Herein we investigate a series of cobalt(III) pyridine-thiolate complexes as electrocatalysts for CO₂ reduction. The effect of the ligands and proton sources on activity was examined. We identified bipyridine bis(2-pyridinethiolato) cobalt(III) hexaflurophosphate as a highly selective catalyst for formate production operating at a low overpotential of 110 mV with a turnover frequency (TOF) of 10 s⁻¹. Electrokinetic analysis coupled with density functional theory (DFT) computations established the mechanistic pathway, highlighting the role of metal hydride intermediates. The catalysts deactivate via the formation of stable cobalt carbonyl complexes, but the active species could be regenerated upon oxidation and release of coordinated CO ligands.     

Controlling the Product Platform of Carbon Dioxide Reduction: Adaptive Catalytic Hydrosilylation of CO2 Using a Molecular Cobalt(II) Triazine Complex

The catalytic reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) is considered a major pillar of future sustainable energy systems and chemical industries based on renewable energy and raw materials. Typically, catalysts and catalytic systems are transforming CO₂ preferentially or even exclusively to one of the possible reduction levels and are then optimized for this specific product. Here, we report a cobalt‐based catalytic system that enables the adaptive and highly selective transformation of carbon dioxide individually to either the formic acid, the formaldehyde, or the methanol level, demonstrating the possibility of molecular control over the desired product platform.     

Electroreduction of CO2 to Formate with Low Overpotential using Cobalt Pyridine Thiolate Complexes

Electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction to value‐added products provides a viable alternative to the use of carbon sources derived from fossil fuels. Carrying out these transformations at reasonable energetic costs, for example, with low overpotential, remains a challenge. Molecular catalysts allow fine control of activity and selectivity via tuning of their coordination sphere and ligand set. Herein we investigate a series of cobalt(III) pyridine‐thiolate complexes as electrocatalysts for CO₂ reduction. The effect of the ligands and proton sources on activity was examined. We identified bipyridine bis(2‐pyridinethiolato) cobalt(III) hexaflurophosphate as a highly selective catalyst for formate production operating at a low overpotential of 110 mV with a turnover frequency (TOF) of 10 s^?1. Electrokinetic analysis coupled with density functional theory (DFT) computations established the mechanistic pathway, highlighting the role of metal hydride intermediates. The catalysts deactivate via the formation of stable cobalt carbonyl complexes, but the active species could be regenerated upon oxidation and release of coordinated CO ligands.     

The Origin of the Catalytic Activity of a Metal Hydride in CO2 Reduction

Atomic hydrogen on the surface of a metal with high hydrogen solubility is of particular interest for the hydrogenation of carbon dioxide. In a mixture of hydrogen and carbon dioxide, methane was markedly formed on the metal hydride ZrCoH_x in the course of the hydrogen desorption and not on the pristine intermetallic. The surface analysis was performed by means of time‐of‐flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy and near‐ambient pressure X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy, for the in situ analysis. The aim was to elucidate the origin of the catalytic activity of the metal hydride. Since at the initial stage the dissociation of impinging hydrogen molecules is hindered by a high activation barrier of the oxidised surface, the atomic hydrogen flux from the metal hydride is crucial for the reduction of carbon dioxide and surface oxides at interfacial sites.     

双二苯基-1-甲基咪唑膦氯化镍的制备及其电催化还原CO2的研究

以二苯基-1-甲基咪唑膦（dpim）为配体制备了一种新型的配合物催化剂Ni(dpim)₂Cl₂. 循环伏安研究表明,Ni(dpim)₂Cl₂配合物在氮气气氛下表现出两步还原的电化学行为,在-0.7 V下为两电子的不可逆还原,在-1.3 V下为单电子准可逆还原. 向电解液中通入CO₂后,在-1.3 V下的还原峰变得不可逆,且其峰电流从0.48 mA·cm^-2增大到0.55 mA·cm^-2. 在质子源（CH₃OH）存在的条件下,该还原峰电流可继续增大到0.72 mA·cm^-2. 该研究结果表明,Ni(dpim)₂Cl₂配合物对CO₂还原具有良好的电催化性能,且其电催化还原过程符合ECE机理. 在-1.3 V下恒电位电解得到的还原产物主要为CO,催化转换频率（Turnover of Frenquency, TOF）为0.17 s^-1.     

A Dinuclear Cobalt Cryptate as a Homogeneous Photocatalyst for Highly Selective and Efficient Visible-Light Driven CO2 Reduction to CO in CH3CN/H2O Solution

A dinuclear cobalt complex [Co₂(OH)L¹](ClO₄)₃ ( 1 , L¹=N[(CH₂)₂NHCH₂(m-C₆H₄)CH₂NH(CH₂)₂]₃N) displays high selectivity and efficiency for the photocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to CO in CH₃CN/H₂O (v/v=4:1) under a 450 nm LED light irradiation, with a light intensity of 100 mW cm⁻². The selectivity reaches as high as 98 %, and the turnover numbers (TON) and turnover frequencies (TOF) reach as high as 16896 and 0.47 s⁻¹, respectively, with the calculated quantum yield of 0.04 %. Such high activity can be attributed to the synergistic catalysis effect between two Co^II ions within 1 , which is strongly supported by the results of control experiments and DFT calculations.     

Molybdenum Carbide as Alternative Catalysts to Precious Metals for Highly Selective Reduction of CO2 to CO

Rising atmospheric CO₂ is expected to have negative effects on the global environment from its role in climate change and ocean acidification. Utilizing CO₂ as a feedstock to make valuable chemicals is potentially more desirable than sequestration. A substantial reduction of CO₂ levels requires a large‐scale CO₂ catalytic conversion process, which in turn requires the discovery of low‐cost catalysts. Results from the current study demonstrate the feasibility of using the non‐precious metal material molybdenum carbide (Mo₂C) as an active and selective catalyst for CO₂ conversion by H₂.     

钴卟啉的合成及其对氧还原的电催化性能

 合成了四苯基卟啉及其钴配合物,考察了催化剂、溶剂及反应温度等因素对四苯基卟啉收率的影响,并用红外光谱和核磁共振氢谱对合成产物进行了结构表征. 以X射线光电子能谱为主要手段,研究了不同热处理温度对钴卟啉结构的影响,通过测定空气电极极化曲线研究了热处理对钴卟啉催化活性的影响. 结果表明,在200 ℃, 以对硝基苯甲酸为催化剂,硝基苯为溶剂时,四苯基卟啉收率达32%. 热处理能提高金属卟啉的催化活性, 600 ℃热处理后,钴卟啉环中的 Co-N4 结构趋于键断裂的临界状态,催化活性点增多,催化活性较好; 而800 ℃处理的钴卟啉中部分 Co-N4 键破裂,催化活性下降.     

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.     

Strategies for Bioelectrochemical CO2 Reduction

Atmospheric CO₂ is a cheap and abundant source of carbon for synthetic applications. However, the stability of CO₂ makes its conversion to other carbon compounds difficult and has prompted the extensive development of CO₂ reduction catalysts. Bioelectrocatalysts are generally more selective, highly efficient, can operate under mild conditions, and use electricity as the sole reducing agent. Improving the communication between an electrode and a bioelectrocatalyst remains a significant area of development. Through the examples of CO₂ reduction catalyzed by electroactive enzymes and whole cells, recent advancements in this area are compared and contrasted.     

Underevaluated Solvent Effects in Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction by FeIII Chloride Tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin

Fe^III chloride tetrakis(pentafluorophenyl)porphyrin ( 1 ) is known to have poor electrocatalytic activity for the CO₂-to-CO conversion in dimethylformamide. In this work, we re-examined Fe porphyrin 1 as a CO₂ reduction catalyst in various solvents. Our results show that 1 displays fairly high electrocatalytic CO₂-to-CO activity in acetonitrile with a turnover frequency (TOF) up to 4.2×10⁴ s⁻¹. On the other hand, 1 shows a modest activity in propylene carbonate, and is inefficient to catalyze CO₂ reduction in benzonitrile, dimethylformamide, and tetrahydrofuran. Several solvent effects were considered, but none of these effects alone can explain the observed large activity difference of 1 for CO₂ reduction in these solvents. Based on the results, it is suggested that more care should be paid when comparing different CO₂ reduction catalysts because solvent effects are significant and are underevaluated.