Tuning C1/C2 Selectivity of CO2 Electrochemical Reduction over in-Situ Evolved CuO/SnO2 Heterostructure

Heterostructured oxides with versatile active sites, as a class of efficient catalysts for CO₂ electrochemical reduction (CO₂ER), are prone to undergo structure reconstruction under working conditions, thus bringing challenges to understanding the reaction mechanism and rationally designing catalysts. Herein, we for the first time elucidate the structural reconstruction of CuO/SnO₂ under electrochemical potentials and reveal the intrinsic relationship between CO₂ER product selectivity and the in situ evolved heterostructures. At −0.85 V_RHE, the CuO/SnO₂ evolves to Cu₂O/SnO₂ with high selectivity to HCOOH (Faradaic efficiency of 54.81 %). Mostly interestingly, it is reconstructed to Cu/SnO_2-x at −1.05 V_RHE with significantly improved Faradaic efficiency to ethanol of 39.8 %. In situ Raman spectra and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the synergetic absorption of *COOH and *CHOCO intermediates at the interface of Cu/SnO_2-x favors the formation of *CO and decreases the energy barrier of C−C coupling, leading to high selectivity to ethanol.     

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.     

Polymer-Supported Liquid Layer Electrolyzer Enabled Electrochemical CO2 Reduction to CO with High Energy Efficiency

The electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide (CO₂) to carbon monoxide (CO) is a favorable approach to reduce CO₂ emission while converting excess sustainable energy to important chemical feedstocks. At high current density (>100 mA cm⁻²), low energy efficiency (EE) and unaffordable cell cost limit the industrial application of conventional CO₂ electrolyzers. Thus, a crucial and urgent task is to design a new type of CO₂ electrolyzer that can work efficiently at high current density. Here we report a polymer-supported liquid layer (PSL) electrolyzer using polypropylene non-woven fabric as a separator between anode and cathode. Ag based cathode was fed with humid CO₂ and potassium hydroxide was fed to earth-abundant NiFe-based anode. In this configuration, the PSL provided high-pH condition for the cathode reaction and reduced the cell resistance, achieving a high full cell EE over 66 % at 100 mA cm⁻².     

Simultaneous co-Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction and Ethanol Oxidation towards Synergistic Acetaldehyde Synthesis

Photocatalytic conversion of CO₂ is of great interest but it often suffers sluggish oxidation half reaction and undesired by-products. Here, we report for the first the simultaneous co-photocatalytic CO₂ reduction and ethanol oxidation towards one identical value-added CH₃CHO product on a rubidium and potassium co-modified carbon nitride (CN-KRb). The CN-KRb offers a record photocatalytic activity of 1212.3 μmol h⁻¹g⁻¹ with a high selectivity of 93.3 % for CH₃CHO production, outperforming all the state-of-art CO₂ photocatalysts. It is disclosed that the introduced Rb boosts the *OHCCHO fromation and facilitates the CH₃CHO desorption, while K promotes ethanol adsorption and activation. Moreover, the H⁺ stemming from ethanol oxidation is confirmed to participate in the CO₂ reduction process, endowing near ideal overall atomic economy. This work provides a new strategy for effective use of the photoexcited electron and hole for high selective and sustainable conversion of CO₂ paired with oxidation reaction into identical product.     

Oxygen Vacancies in ZnO Nanosheets Enhance CO2 Electrochemical Reduction to CO

As electron transfer to CO₂ is generally considered to be the critical step during the activation of CO₂, it is important to develop approaches to engineer the electronic properties of catalysts to improve their performance in CO₂ electrochemical reduction. Herein, we developed an efficient strategy to facilitate CO₂ activation by introducing oxygen vacancies into electrocatalysts with electronic‐rich surface. ZnO nanosheets rich in oxygen vacancies exhibited a current density of ?16.1 mA cm^?2 with a Faradaic efficiency of 83 % for CO production. Based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations, the introduction of oxygen vacancies increased the charge density of ZnO around the valence band maximum, resulting in the enhanced activation of CO₂. Mechanistic studies further revealed that the enhancement of CO production by introducing oxygen vacancies into ZnO nanosheets originated from the increased binding strength of CO₂ and the eased CO₂ activation.     

Insights into Electrochemical CO2 Reduction on SnS2: Main Product Switch from Hydrogen to Formate by Pulsed Potential Electrolysis

Tin disulfide (SnS₂) is a promising candidate for electrosynthesis of CO₂-to-formate while the low activity and selectivity remain a great challenge. Herein, we report the potentiostatic and pulsed potential CO₂RR performance of SnS₂ nanosheets (NSs) with tunable S-vacancy and exposure of Sn-atoms or S-atoms prepared controllably by calcination of SnS₂ at different temperatures under the H₂/Ar atmosphere. The catalytic activity of S-vacancy SnS₂ (V_s-SnS₂) is improved 1.8 times, but it exhibits an exclusive hydrogen evolution with about 100 % FE under all potentials investigated in the static conditions. The theoretical calculations reveal that the adsorption of *H on the V_s-SnS₂ surface is energetically more favorable than the carbonaceous intermediates, resulting in active site coverage that hinders the carbon intermediates from being adsorbed. Fortunately, the main product can be switched from hydrogen to formate by applying pulsed potential electrolysis benefiting from in situ formed partially oxidized SnS_2−x with the oxide phase selective to formate and the S-vacancy to hydrogen. This work highlights not only the V_s-SnS₂ NSs lead to exclusively H₂ formation, but also provides insights into the systematic design of highly selective CO₂ reduction catalysts reconstructed by pulsed potential electrolysis.     

Electrolyte Effects on the Electrochemical Reduction of CO2

The electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to fuels or commodity chemicals is a reaction of high interest for closing the anthropogenic carbon cycle. The role of the electrolyte is of particular interest, as the interplay between the electrocatalytic surface and the electrolyte plays an important role in determining the outcome of the CO₂ reduction reaction. Therefore, insights on electrolyte effects on the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ are pivotal in designing electrochemical devices that are able to efficiently and selectively convert CO₂ into valuable products. Here, we provide an overview of recently obtained insights on electrolyte effects and we discuss how these insights can be used as design parameters for the construction of new electrocatalytic systems.     

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.     

Tailoring *H Intermediate Coverage on the CuAl2O4/CuO Catalyst for Enhanced Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction to Ethanol

The direct electrochemical conversion of CO₂ to multi-carbon products offers a promising pathway for producing value-added chemicals using renewable electricity. However, producing ethanol remains a challenge because of the competitive ethylene formation and hydrogen evolution reactions. Herein, we propose an active hydrogen (*H)-intermediate-mediating strategy for ethanol electroproduction on a layered precursor-derived CuAl₂O₄/CuO catalyst. The catalyst delivered a Faradaic efficiency of 70 % for multi-carbon products and 41 % for ethanol at current density of 200 mA cm⁻² and exhibited a continuous 150 h durability in a flow cell. The intensive spectroscopic studies combined with theoretical calculations revealed that the in situ generated CuAl₂O₄ could tailor *H intermediate coverage and the elevated *H coverage favors the hydrogenation of the *HCCOH intermediate, accounting for the increased yield of ethanol. This work directs a pathway for enhancing ethanol electroproduction from CO₂ reduction by tailoring *H intermediate coverage.     

Proton Tunneling Distances for Metal Hydrides Formation Manage the Selectivity of Electrochemical CO2 Reduction Reaction

A series of manganese polypyridine complexes were prepared as CO₂ reduction electrocatalysts. Among these catalysts, the intramolecular proton tunneling distance for metal hydride formation (PTD-MH) vary from 2.400 to 2.696 Å while the structural, energetic, and electronic factors remain essentially similar to each other. The experimental and theoretical results revealed that the selectivity of CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) is dominated by the intramolecular PTD-MH within a difference of ca. 0.3 Å. Specifically, the catalyst functionalized with a pendent phenol group featuring a slightly longer PTD-MH favors the binding of proton to the [Mn−CO₂] adduct rather than the Mn center and results in ca. 100 % selectivity for CO product. In contrast, decreasing the PTD-MH by attaching a dangling tertiary amine in the same catalyst skeleton facilitates the proton binding on the Mn center and switches the product from CO to HCOOH with a selectivity of 86 %.     

Computational Exploration of Mechanistic Avenues in Metal-Free CO2 Reduction to CO by Disilyne Bisphosphine Adduct and Phosphonium Silaylide

Recent years have seen a growing interest in metal-free CO₂ activation by silylenes, silylones, and silanones. However, compared to mononuclear silicon species, CO₂ reduction mediated by dinuclear silicon compounds, especially disilynes, has been less explored. We have carried out extensive computational investigations to explore the mechanistic avenues in CO₂ reduction to CO by donor-stabilized disilyne bisphosphine adduct ( R1^M ) and phosphonium silaylide ( R2 ) using density functional theory calculations. Theoretical calculations suggest that R1^M exhibits donor-stabilized bis(silylene) bonding features with unusual Si−Si multiple bonding. Various modes of CO₂ coordination to R1^M have been investigated and the coordination of CO₂ by the carbon center to R1^M is found to be kinetically more facile than that by oxygen involving only one or both the silicon centers. Both the theoretically predicted reaction mechanisms of R1^M and R2 -mediated CO₂ reduction reveal the crucial role of silicon-centered lone pairs in CO₂ activations and generation of key intermediates possessing enormous strain in the Si−C−O ring, which plays the pivotal role in CO extrusion.     

TiO_2纳米管电极上电化学还原CO_2生成CH_3OH

采用原位阳极氧化-煅烧法制备TiO_2纳米管(TiO_2NTs)电极,运用X射线衍射(XRD)、电场发射扫描电子显微镜(FESEM)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、双电位阶跃测试等对制备电极进行表征,考察了其在0.1mol?L~(-1) KHCO_3水溶液中电化学还原CO_2的催化活性。结果表明TiO_2NTs电极上电化学还原CO_2的主产物为CH_3OH,CH_3OH由HCOOH和HCHO进一步还原而来。电极制备的最佳煅烧温度为450℃(TiO_2NTs-450),电解电位-0.56 V(vs RHE(可逆氢电极))时反应120 min后,生成CH_3OH的法拉第效率和分电流密度分别为85.8%和0.2 m A?cm~(-2)。与550和650℃煅烧的电极相比,TiO_2NTs-450电极具有更高的催化活性,归因于电极表面更多的三价钛活性位,有利于CO_2吸附,从而对·CO_2-起到稳定的作用,速率控制步骤转变为·CO_2-的质子化反应。     

Size-Dependent Nickel-Based Electrocatalysts for Selective CO2 Reduction

Closing the anthropogenic carbon cycle by converting CO₂ into reusable chemicals is an attractive solution to mitigate rising concentrations of CO₂ in the atmosphere. Herein, we prepared Ni metal catalysts ranging in size from single atoms to over 100 nm and distributed them across N-doped carbon substrates which were obtained from converted zeolitic imidazolate frameworks (ZIF). The results show variance in CO₂ reduction performance with variance in Ni metal size. Ni single atoms demonstrate a superior Faradaic efficiency (FE) for CO selectivity (ca. 97 % at −0.8 V vs. RHE), while results for 4.1 nm Ni nanoparticles are slightly lower (ca. 93 %). Further increase the Ni particle size to 37.2 nm allows the H₂ evolution reaction (HER) to compete with the CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR). The FE towards CO production decreases to under 30 % and HER efficiency increase to over 70 %. These results show a size-dependent CO₂ reduction for various sizes of Ni metal catalysts.     

Halogen-Incorporated Sn Catalysts for Selective Electrochemical CO2 Reduction to Formate

Electrochemically reducing CO₂ to valuable fuels or feedstocks is recognized as a promising strategy to simultaneously tackle the crises of fossil fuel shortage and carbon emission. Sn-based catalysts have been widely studied for electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) to make formic acid/formate, which unfortunately still suffer from low activity, selectivity and stability. In this work, halogen (F, Cl, Br or I) was introduced into the Sn catalyst by a facile hydrolysis method. The presence of halogen was confirmed by a collection of ex situ and in situ characterizations, which rendered a more positive valence state of Sn in halogen-incorporated Sn catalyst as compared to unmodified Sn under cathodic potentials in CO₂RR and therefore tuned the adsorption strength of the key intermediate (*OCHO) toward formate formation. As a result, the halogen-incorporated Sn catalyst exhibited greatly enhanced catalytic performance in electrochemical CO₂RR to produce formate.     

铜基串联催化剂电催化CO2还原的研究进展

化石燃料的燃烧和其他人类活动排放了大量的CO₂气体,引发了诸多环境问题。电催化CO₂还原反应(CO₂RR)可以储存间歇可再生能源,实现人为闭合碳循环,被认为是获得高附加值化学品和燃料的有效途径。电催化CO₂RR涉及多个电子-质子转移步骤,其中^*CO通常被认为是关键中间体。铜由于对^*CO具有合适的吸附能,已被广泛证明是唯一能够有效地将CO₂还原为碳氢化合物和含氧化合物的金属催化剂。然而,纯Cu稳定性差、产品选择性低、过电位高,阻碍了工业级多碳产品的生产。构筑Cu基串联催化剂是提高CO₂RR性能的一种有前途的策略。本文首先介绍电催化CO₂RR的反应路线和串联机理。然后,系统地总结铜基串联催化剂对电催化CO₂RR的最新研究进展。最后,提出合理设计和可控合成新型电催化CO₂RR串联催化剂面临的挑战和机遇。     

铜基串联催化剂电催化CO2还原的研究进展

Through the combustion of fossil fuels and other human activities, large amounts of CO₂ gas have been emitted into the atmosphere, causing many environmental problems, such as the greenhouse effect and global warming. Thus, developing and utilizing renewable clean energy is crucial to reduce CO₂ emission and achieve carbon neutrality. The electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) has been considered as an effective approach to obtain high value-added chemicals and fuels, which can store intermittent renewable energy and achieve the artificial carbon cycle. In addition, due to its multiple advantages, such as mild reaction conditions, tunable products, and simple implementation, electrochemical CO₂RR has attracted extensive attention. Electrochemical CO₂RR involves multiple electron–proton transfer steps to obtain multitudinous products, such as C₁ products (CO, HCOOH, CH₄, etc.) and C₂ products (C₂H₄, C₂H₅OH, etc.). The intermediates, among which ^*CO is usually identified as the key intermediate, and reaction pathways of different products intersect, resulting in an extremely complex reaction mechanism. Currently, copper has been widely proven to be the only metal catalyst that can efficiently reduce CO₂ to hydrocarbons and oxygenates due to its suitable adsorption energy for ^*CO. However, the low product selectivity, poor stability, and high overpotential of pure Cu hinder its use for the production of industrial-grade multi-carbon products. Tandem catalysts with multiple types of active sites can sequentially reduce CO₂ molecules into desired products. When loaded onto a co-catalyst that can efficiently convert CO₂ to ^*CO (such as Au and Ag), Cu acts as an electron donor owing to its high electrochemical potential. ^*CO species generated from the substrate can spillover onto the surface of electron-poor Cu due to the stronger adsorption and be further reduced to C₂₊ products. The use of Cu-based tandem catalysts for electrochemical CO₂RR is a promising strategy for improving the performance of CO₂RR and thus, has become a research hotspot in recent years. In this review, we first introduce the reaction routes and tandem mechanisms of electrochemical CO₂RR. Then, we systematically summarize the recent research progress of Cu-based tandem catalysts for electrochemical CO₂RR, including Cu-based metallic materials (alloys, heterojunction, and core-shell structures) as well as Cu-based framework materials, carbon materials, and polymer-modified materials. Importantly, the preparation methods of various Cu-based tandem catalysts and their structure–activity relationship in CO₂RR are discussed and analyzed in detail. Finally, the challenges and opportunities of the rational design and controllable synthesis of advanced tandem catalysts for electrochemical CO₂RR are proposed.     

基于金属氧化物材料的二氧化碳电催化还原

The CO₂ level in the atmosphere has been increasing since the industrial revolution owing to anthropogenic activities. The increased CO₂ level has led to global warming and also has detrimental effects on human beings. Reducing the CO₂ level in the atmosphere is urgent for balancing the carbon cycle. In this regard, reduction in CO₂ emission and CO₂ storage and usage are the main strategies. Among these, CO₂ usage has been extensively explored, because it can reduce the CO₂ level and simultaneously provide opportunities for the development in catalysts and industries to convert CO₂ as a carbon source for preparing valuable products. However, transformation of CO₂ to other chemicals is challenging owing to its thermodynamic and kinetic stabilities. Among the CO₂ utilization techniques, electrochemical CO₂ reduction (ECR) is a promising alternative because it is generally conducted under ambient conditions, and water is used as the economical hydrogen source. Moreover, ECR offers a potential route to store electrical energy from renewable sources in the form of chemical energy, through generation of CO₂ reduction products. To improve the energy efficiency and viability of ECR, it is important to decrease the operational overpotential and maintain large current densities and high product selectivities; the development of efficient electrocatalysts is a critical aspect in this regard. To date, many kinds of materials have been designed and studied for application in ECR. Among these materials, metal oxide-based materials exhibit excellent performance as electrocatalysts for ECR and are attracting increasing attention in recent years. Investigation of the mechanism of reactions that involve metallic electrocatalysts has revealed the function of trace amount of oxidized metal species—it has been suggested that the presence of metal oxides and metal-oxygen bonds facilitates the activation of CO₂ and the subsequent formation and stabilization of the reaction intermediates, thereby resulting in high efficiency and selectivity of the ECR. Although the stability of metal oxides is a concern as they are prone to reduction under a cathodic potential, the catalytic performance of metal oxide-based catalysts can be maintained through careful designing of the morphology and structure of the materials. In addition, introducing other metal species to metal oxides and fabricating composites of metal oxides and other materials are effective strategies to achieve enhanced performance in ECR. In this review, we summarize the recent progress in the use of metal oxide-based materials as electrocatalysts and their application in ECR. The critical role, stability, and structure-performance relationship of the metal oxide-based materials for ECR are highlighted in the discussion. In the final part, we propose the future prospects for the development of metal oxide-based electrocatalysts for ECR.     

Rh多晶表面CO2还原过程的电化学和原位FTIR反射光谱研究

应用程序电位扫描法和电化学原位FTIR反射光谱从定量角度在分子水平 上研究了CO2在Rh电极上的电催化还原性能。红外光谱结果指出CO2还原的吸附产物为线型和桥式吸附态CO物种。在所研究和还原电位范围（－0．15－0．40V）和相同还原时间,CO2还原吸附物种的氧化电量随还原电位的负移而增大,在每个还原电位下,时间超过250s时都可达到一个相应的饱和值。原位红外光谱和电化学研究结果表明,CO2的还原与Rh电极表面氢吸附反应密切相关,同时需要一定数量相邻表面位的参与。因此生成的CO不能在Rh电极表面达到满单层吸附,而是形成均匀的亚单层分布。     

Photo-thermal Cooperative Carbonylation of Ethanol with CO2 on Cu2O-SrTiCuO3-x

Carbonylation of ethanol with CO₂ as carbonyl source into value-added esters is of considerable significance and interest, while remains of great challenge due to the harsh conditions for activation of inert CO₂ in that the harsh conditions result in undesired activation of α-C−H and even cleavage of C−C bond in ethanol to deteriorate the specific activation of O−H bond. Herein, we propose a photo-thermal cooperative strategy for carbonylation of ethanol with CO₂, in which CO₂ is activated to reactive CO via photo-catalysis with the assistance of *H from thermally-catalyzed dissociation of alcoholic O−H bond. To achieve this proposal, an interfacial site and oxygen vacancy both abundant SrTiCuO_3-x supported Cu₂O (Cu₂O-SrTiCuO_3-x) has been designed. A production of up to 320 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ for ethyl formate with a selectivity of 85.6 % to targeted alcoholic O−H activation has been afforded in photo-thermal assisted gas-solid process under 3.29 W cm⁻¹ of UV/Vis light irradiation (144 °C) and 0.2 MPa CO₂. In the photo-driven activation of CO₂ and following carbonylation, CO₂ activation energy decreases to 12.6 kJ mol⁻¹, and the cleavage of alcoholic α-C−H bond has been suppressed.