In Situ Reconstruction of a Hierarchical Sn-Cu/SnOx Core/Shell Catalyst for High-Performance CO2 Electroreduction

The electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) to give C₁ (formate and CO) products is one of the most techno-economically achievable strategies for alleviating CO₂ emissions. Now, it is demonstrated that the SnO_x shell in Sn_2.7Cu catalyst with a hierarchical Sn-Cu core can be reconstructed in situ under cathodic potentials of CO₂RR. The resulting Sn_2.7Cu catalyst achieves a high current density of 406.7±14.4 mA cm⁻² with C₁ Faradaic efficiency of 98.0±0.9 % at −0.70 V vs. RHE, and remains stable at 243.1±19.2 mA cm⁻² with a C₁ Faradaic efficiency of 99.0±0.5 % for 40 h at −0.55 V vs. RHE. DFT calculations indicate that the reconstructed Sn/SnO_x interface facilitates formic acid production by optimizing binding of the reaction intermediate HCOO* while promotes Faradaic efficiency of C₁ products by suppressing the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction, resulting in high Faradaic efficiency, current density, and stability of CO₂RR at low overpotentials.     

In Situ Growth of Hierarchical SnO2 Nanosheet Arrays on 3D Macroporous Substrates as High‐Performance Electrodes

Finding out how to overcome the self‐aggregation of nanostructured electrode materials is a very important issue in lithium‐ion battery technology. Herein, by an in situ construction strategy, hierarchical SnO₂ nanosheet architectures have been fabricated on a three‐dimensional macroporous substrate, and thus the aggregation of the SnO₂ nanosheets was effectively prevented. The as‐prepared hierarchical SnO₂ nanoarchitectures on the nickel foam can be directly used as an integrated anode for lithium‐ion batteries without the addition of other ancillary materials such as carbon black or binder. In view of their apparent advantages, such as high electroactive surface area, ultrathin sheet, robust mechanical strength, shorter ion and electron transport path, and the specific macroporous structure, the hierarchical SnO₂ nanosheets exhibit excellent lithium‐storage performance. Our present growth approach offers a new technique for the design and synthesis of metal oxide hierarchical nanoarrays that are promising for electrochemical energy‐storage electrodes without carbon black and binder.     

Ternary Sn‐Ti‐O Electrocatalyst Boosts the Stability and Energy Efficiency of CO2 Reduction

Simultaneously improving energy efficiency (EE) and material stability in electrochemical CO₂ conversion remains an unsolved challenge. Among a series of ternary Sn‐Ti‐O electrocatalysts, 3D ordered mesoporous (3DOM) Sn_0.3Ti_0.7O₂ achieves a trade‐off between active‐site exposure and structural stability, demonstrating up to 71.5 % half‐cell EE over 200 hours, and a 94.5 % Faradaic efficiency for CO at an overpotential as low as 430 mV. DFT and X‐ray absorption fine structure analyses reveal an electron density reconfiguration in the Sn‐Ti‐O system. A downshift of the orbital band center of Sn and a charge depletion of Ti collectively facilitate the dissociative adsorption of the desired intermediate COOH* for CO formation. It is also beneficial in maintaining a local alkaline environment to suppress H₂ and formate formation, and in stabilizing oxygen atoms to prolong durability. These findings provide a new strategy in materials design for efficient CO₂ conversion and beyond.     

High‐Performance Lithium‐Ion Anodes with Hierarchically Assembled Single‐Crystal SnO2 Nanoflake Spheres

A large‐scale hierarchical assembly route is reported for the formation of SnO₂ on the nanoscale that contains rigid and robust spheres with irregular channels for rapid access of Li ions into the hierarchically structured interiors. Large volume changes during the process of Li insertion and extraction are accommodated by the SnO₂ nanoflake spheres’ internal porosity. The hierarchical SnO₂ nanoflake spheres exhibit good lithium storage properties with high capacity and long‐lasting performance when used as lithium‐ion anodes. A reversible capacity of 517 mA h g^?1, still greater than the theoretical capacity of graphite (372 mA h g^?1), after 50 charge–discharge cycles is attained. Meanwhile, the synthesis process is simple, inexpensive, safe, and broadly applicable, providing new avenues for the rational engineering of electrode materials with enhanced conductivity and power.     

High Performance Fe Porphyrin/Ionic Liquid Co‐catalyst for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction

The efficient and selective catalytic reduction of CO₂ is a highly promising process for both of the storage of renewable energy as well as the production of valuable chemical feedstocks. In this work, we show that the addition of an ionic liquid, 1‐butyl‐3‐methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate, in an aprotic electrolyte containing a proton source and FeTPP, promotes the in situ formation of the [Fe⁰TPP]^2? homogeneous catalyst at a less negative potential, resulting in lower overpotentials for the CO₂ reduction (670 mV) and increased kinetics of electron transfer. This co‐catalysis exhibits high Faradaic efficiency for CO production (93 %) and turnover number (2 740 000 after 4 hour electrolysis), with a four‐fold increase in turnover frequency (TOF) when compared with the standard system without the ionic liquid.     

MnO@Carbon Core–Shell Nanowires as Stable High‐Performance Anodes for Lithium‐Ion Batteries

A facile method is presented for the large‐scale preparation of rationally designed mesocrystalline MnO@carbon core–shell nanowires with a jointed appearance. The nanostructures have a unique arrangement of internally encapsulated highly oriented and interconnected MnO nanorods and graphitized carbon layers forming an external coating. Based on a comparison and analysis of the crystal structures of MnOOH, Mn₂O₃, and MnO@C, we propose a sequential topotactic transformation of the corresponding precursors to the products. Very interestingly, the individual mesoporous single‐crystalline MnO nanorods are strongly interconnected and maintain the same crystallographic orientation, which is a typical feature of mesocrystals. When tested for their applicability to Li‐ion batteries (LIB), the MnO@carbon core–shell nanowires showed excellent capacity retention, superior cycling performance, and high rate capability. Specifically, the MnO@carbon core–shell nanostructures could deliver reversible capacities as high as 801 mA h g^?1 at a high current density of 500 mA g^?1, with excellent electrochemical stability after testing over 200 cycles, indicating their potential application in LIBs. The remarkable electrochemical performance can mainly be attributed to the highly uniform carbon layer around the MnO nanowires, which is not only effective in buffering the structural strain and volume variations of anodes during repeated electrochemical reactions, but also greatly enhances the conductivity of the electrode material. Our results confirm the feasibility of using these rationally designed composite materials for practical applications. The present strategy is simple but very effective, and appears to be sufficiently versatile to be extended to other high‐capacity electrode materials with large volume variations and low electrical conductivities.     

High‐Performance K–CO2 Batteries Based on Metal‐Free Carbon Electrocatalysts

Metal–CO₂ batteries have attracted much attention owing to their high energy density and use of greenhouse CO₂ waste as the energy source. However, the increasing cost of lithium and the low discharge potential of Na–CO₂ batteries create obstacles for practical applications of Li/Na–CO₂ batteries. Recently, earth‐abundant potassium ions have attracted considerable interest as fast ionic charge carriers for electrochemical energy storage. Herein, we report the first K–CO₂ battery with a carbon‐based metal‐free electrocatalyst. The battery shows a higher theoretical discharge potential (E^?=2.48 V) than that of Na–CO₂ batteries (E^?=2.35 V) and can operate for more than 250 cycles (1500 h) with a cutoff capacity of 300 mA h g^?1. Combined DFT calculations and experimental observations revealed a reaction mechanism involving the reversible formation and decomposition of P12₁/c1‐type K₂CO₃ at the efficient carbon‐based catalyst.     

CODH‐IV: A High‐Efficiency CO‐Scavenging CO Dehydrogenase with Resistance to O2

CO dehydrogenases (CODHs) catalyse the reversible conversion between CO and CO₂. Genomic analysis indicated that the metabolic functions of CODHs vary. The genome of Carboxydothermus hydrogenoformans encodes five CODHs (CODH‐I–V), of which CODH‐IV is found in a gene cluster near a peroxide‐reducing enzyme. Our kinetic and crystallographic experiments reveal that CODH‐IV differs from other CODHs in several characteristic properties: it has a very high affinity for CO, oxidizes CO at diffusion‐limited rate over a wide range of temperatures, and is more tolerant to oxygen than CODH‐II. Thus, our observations support the idea that CODH‐IV is a CO scavenger in defence against oxidative stress and highlight that CODHs are more diverse in terms of reactivity than expected.     

Highly Efficient CO2 Electroreduction on ZnN4‐based Single‐Atom Catalyst

The electrochemical reduction reaction of carbon dioxide (CO2RR) to carbon monoxide (CO) is the basis for the further synthesis of more complex carbon‐based fuels or attractive feedstock. Single‐atom catalysts have unique electronic and geometric structures with respect to their bulk counterparts, thus exhibiting unexpected catalytic activities. A nitrogen‐anchored Zn single‐atom catalyst is presented for CO formation from CO2RR with high catalytic activity (onset overpotential down to 24 mV), high selectivity (Faradaic efficiency for CO (FE_CO) up to 95 % at ?0.43 V), remarkable durability (>75 h without decay of FE_CO), and large turnover frequency (TOF, up to 9969 h^?1). Further experimental and DFT results indicate that the four‐nitrogen‐anchored Zn single atom (Zn‐N₄) is the main active site for CO2RR with low free energy barrier for the formation of *COOH as the rate‐limiting step.     

Highly Selective and Active Pd‐In/three‐dimensional Graphene with Special Structure for Electroreduction CO2 to Formate

Electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to formate on carbon based electrodes is known to suffer from low electrochemical reaction activity and product selectivity. Pd/three‐dimensional graphene (Pd/3D‐RGO), In/3D‐RGO and Pd‐In/3D‐RGO for the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ were prepared by a mild method that combines chemical and hydrothermal. The metal/3D‐graphenes (metal/3D‐RGO) were characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X‐ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Cyclic voltammetry and the ion chromatography were performed to investigate the electrochemical performance of the metal/3D‐RGO. The morphology and dispersion of metal/3D‐RGO are 3D structure with amount of interconnected pores with metal NPs loading on the fold. And the Pd_0.5‐In_0.5/3D‐RGO show excellent surface performance with well dispersion and smallest particle size (12.8 nm). XPS reveal that binding energy of Pd (In) NPs is shifted to negative energy, for the metal lose electrons in metal and combine with C, which is demonstrated in the HNO₃ experiment. The peak potential of Pd_0.5‐In_0.5/3D‐RGO is −0.70 V (vs. Ag/AgCl), which is more positive than In_1.0/3D‐RGO (−0.73 V) and Pd_1.0/3D‐RGO (−1.2 V). The highest faradaic efficiency (85.3 %) happens in Pd_0.5‐In_0.5/3D‐RGO at −1.6 V vs. Ag/AgCl. In these experiments, the special structure that metal NPs combine with C and the bimetal NPs give a direction to convert CO₂ to formate.     

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.     

用于CO2或CO加氢合成甲醇过程的高活性Cu/ZnO/Al2O3纳米纤维催化剂

 采用特殊的共沉淀法制备了一种在CO2加氢和CO加氢过程中都具有很高活性的Cu/ZnO/Al2O3纳米纤维催化剂. 与商业催化剂相比,该催化剂的CO2和CO转化率、甲醇选择性和甲醇时空产率高很多. 该合成方法不需要有机试剂和复杂的过程,因此生产成本低,容易实现.     

An Artificial Electrode/Electrolyte Interface for CO2 Electroreduction by Cation Surfactant Self-Assembly

In this work, an artificial electrode/electrolyte (E/E) interface, made by coating the electrode surface with a quaternary ammonium cation (R₄N⁺) surfactant, was successfully developed, leading to a change in the CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) pathway. This artificial E/E interface, with high CO₂ permeability, promotes CO₂ transportation and hydrogenation, as well as suppresses the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). Linear and branched surfactants facilitated formic acid and CO production, respectively. Molecular dynamics simulations show that the artificial interface provided a facile CO₂ diffusion pathway. Moreover, density-functional theory (DFT) calculations revealed the stabilization of the key intermediate, OCHO*, through interactions with R₄N⁺. This strategy might also be applicable to other electrocatalytic reactions where gas consumption is involved.     

Electrocatalytic and Solar‐Driven CO2 Reduction to CO with a Molecular Manganese Catalyst Immobilized on Mesoporous TiO2

Electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction to CO was achieved with a novel Mn complex, fac‐[MnBr(4,4′‐bis(phosphonic acid)‐2,2′‐bipyridine)(CO)₃] ( MnP ), immobilized on a mesoporous TiO₂ electrode. A benchmark turnover number of 112±17 was attained with these TiO₂| MnP electrodes after 2 h electrolysis. Post‐catalysis IR spectroscopy demonstrated that the molecular structure of the MnP catalyst was retained. UV/vis spectroscopy confirmed that an active Mn–Mn dimer was formed during catalysis on the TiO₂ electrode, showing the dynamic formation of a catalytically active dimer on an electrode surface. Finally, we combined the light‐protected TiO₂| MnP cathode with a CdS‐sensitized photoanode to enable solar‐light‐driven CO₂ reduction with the light‐sensitive MnP catalyst.     

Three‐Dimensional Nitrogen‐Doped Hierarchical Porous Carbon as an Electrode for High‐Performance Supercapacitors

A facile and sustainable procedure for the synthesis of nitrogen‐doped hierarchical porous carbons with a three‐dimensional interconnected framework (NHPC‐3D) was developed. The strategy, based on a colloidal crystal‐templating method, utilizes nitrogenous dopamine as the precursor due to its unique properties, including self‐polymerization under mild alkaline conditions, coating onto various surfaces, a high carbonization yield, and well‐preserved nitrogen doping after heat treatment. The obtained NHPC‐3D possesses a high surface area of 1056 m² g^?1, a large pore volume of 2.56 cm³ g^?1, and a high nitrogen content of 8.2 wt %. The NHPC‐3D is implemented as the electrode material of a supercapacitor and exhibits a specific capacitance as high as 252 F g^?1 at a current density of 2 A g^?1. The device also shows a high capacitance retention of 75.7 % at a higher current density of 20 A g^?1 in aqueous electrolyte due to a sufficient surface area for charge accommodation, reversible pseudocapacitance, and minimized ion‐transport resistance, as a result of the advantageous interconnected hierarchical porous texture. These results showcase NHPC‐3D as a promising candidate for electrode materials in supercapacitors.     

Controlled Synthesis of a Vacancy‐Defect Single‐Atom Catalyst for Boosting CO2 Electroreduction

The reaction of precursors containing both nitrogen and oxygen atoms with Ni^II under 500 °C can generate a N/O mixing coordinated Ni‐N₃O single‐atom catalyst (SAC) in which the oxygen atom can be gradually removed under high temperature due to the weaker Ni?O interaction, resulting in a vacancy‐defect Ni‐N₃‐V SAC at Ni site under 800 °C. For the reaction of Ni^II with the precursor simply containing nitrogen atoms, only a no‐vacancy‐defect Ni‐N₄ SAC was obtained. Experimental and DFT calculations reveal that the presence of a vacancy‐defect in Ni‐N₃‐V SAC can dramatically boost the electrocatalytic activity for CO₂ reduction, with extremely high CO₂ reduction current density of 65 mA cm^?2 and high Faradaic efficiency over 90 % at ?0.9 V vs. RHE, as well as a record high turnover frequency of 1.35×10⁵ h^?1, much higher than those of Ni‐N₄ SAC, and being one of the best reported electrocatalysts for CO₂‐to‐CO conversion to date.     

Pd/C催化剂用于CO2电化学还原生成CO:Pd载量的影响

CO₂电化学还原反应可以将CO₂转化为燃料并同时实现再生能源的有效存储. 目前纳米结构的多相催化剂已经广泛应用于此反应,其中碳负载钯纳米粒子（Pd/C）表现出优异的CO₂电化学还原性能. 本工作研究了钯载量对于Pd/C催化剂结构以及其催化CO₂还原生成CO反应活性和选择性的影响. 不同载量的Pd/C催化剂通过液相还原方法制备,钯纳米粒子均匀地分散在碳载体上,载量并没有明显改变对纳米粒子的粒径. 在优选的电解质（0.1 mol·L^-1 KHCO₃）中,CO法拉第效率与载量呈现火山型曲线关系,-0.89 V时载量为20wt%的Pd/C催化剂达到最高的CO法拉第效率(91.2%). 生成CO的几何电流密度随着钯载量的增加而增加,但CO转换频率具有相反的趋势,载量为2.5wt%的Pd/C催化剂具有最高的转换频率. 这种载量对CO₂电化学还原反应活性和选择性的影响主要由活性位的数量、反应动力学、中间物种的稳定性以及反应物、中间物种和产物的传质过程等共同决定.     

Polypyrrole Shell@3D‐Ni Metal Core Structured Electrodes for High‐Performance Supercapacitors

Three‐dimensional (3D) nanometal films serving as current collectors have attracted much interest recently owing to their promising application in high‐performance supercapacitors. In the process of the electrochemical reaction, the 3D structure can provide a short diffusion path for fast ion transport, and the highly conductive nanometal may serve as a backbone for facile electron transfer. In this work, a novel polypyrrole (PPy) shell@3D‐Ni‐core composite is developed to enhance the electrochemical performance of conventional PPy. With the introduction of a Ni metal core, the as‐prepared material exhibits a high specific capacitance (726 F g^?1 at a charge/discharge rate of 1 A g^?1), good rate capability (a decay of 33 % in C_sp with charge/discharge rates increasing from 1 to 20 A g^?1), and high cycle stability (only a small decrease of 4.2 % in C_sp after 1000 cycles at a scan rate of 100 mV s^?1). Furthermore, an aqueous symmetric supercapacitor device is fabricated by using the as‐prepared composite as electrodes; the device demonstrates a high energy density (≈21.2 Wh kg^?1) and superior long‐term cycle ability (only 4.4 % and 18.6 % loss in C_sp after 2000 and 5000 cycles, respectively).