Paired Electrosynthesis of Formaldehyde Derivatives from CO2 Reduction and Methanol Oxidation

Utilizing CO₂-derived formaldehyde derivatives for fuel additive or polymer synthesis is a promising approach to reduce net carbon dioxide emissions. Existing methodologies involve converting CO₂ to methanol by thermal hydrogenation, followed by electrochemical or thermochemical oxidation to produce formaldehyde. Adding to the conventional methanol oxidation pathway, we propose a new electrochemical approach to simultaneously generate formaldehyde derivatives at both electrodes by partial methanol oxidation and the direct reduction of CO₂. To achieve this, a method to directly reduce CO₂ to formaldehyde at the cathode is required. Still, it has been scarcely reported previously due to the acidity of the formic acid intermediate and the facile over-reduction of formaldehyde to methanol. By enabling the activation and subsequent stabilization of formic acid and formaldehyde respectively in methanol solvent, we were able to implement a strategy where formaldehyde derivatives were generated at the cathode alongside the anode. Further mechanism studies revealed that protons supplied from the anodic reaction contribute to the activation of formic acid and the stabilization of the formaldehyde product. Additionally, it was found that the cathodic formaldehyde derivative Faradaic efficiency can be further increased through prolonged electrolysis time up to 50 % along with a maximum anodic formaldehyde derivative Faradaic efficiency of 90 %.     

Simultaneous Generation of H2O2 and Formate by Co-Electrolysis of Water and CO2 over Bifunctional Zn/SnO2 Nanodots

Hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) and formate are important chemicals used in various chemical manufacturing industries. One promising approach for the simultaneous production of these chemicals is coupling anodic two-electron water oxidation with cathodic CO₂ reduction in an electrolyzer using nonprecious bifunctional electrocatalysts. Herein, we report an innovative hybrid electrosynthesis strategy using Zn-doped SnO₂ (Zn/SnO₂) nanodots as bifunctional redox electrocatalysts to achieve Faradaic efficiencies of 80.6 % and 92.2 % for H₂O₂ and formate coproduction, respectively, along with excellent stability for at least 60 h at a current density of ≈150 mA cm⁻². Through a combination of physicochemical characterizations, including operando attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), isotope labeling mass spectrometry (MS)/¹H NMR and quasi-in situ electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), with density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we discovered that the Zn dopant facilitates the coupling of *OH intermediates to promote H₂O₂ production and optimizes the adsorption of *OCHO intermediates to accelerate formate formation. Our findings offer new insights into designing more efficient bifunctional electrocatalyst-based pair-electrosynthesis system for the coproduction of H₂O₂ and formate feedstocks.     

Acetamide Electrosynthesis from CO2 and Nitrite in Water

Renewable electricity driven electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) is a promising solution to carbon neutralization, which mainly generate simple carbon products. It is of great importance to produce more valuable C−N chemicals from CO₂ and nitrogen species. However, it is challenging to co-reduce CO₂ and NO₃⁻/NO₂⁻ to generate aldoxime an important intermediate in the electrocatalytic C−N coupling process. Herein, we report the successful electrochemical conversion of CO₂ and NO₂⁻ to acetamide for the first time over copper catalysts under alkaline condition through a gas diffusion electrode. Operando spectroelectrochemical characterizations and DFT calculations, suggest acetaldehyde and hydroxylamine identified as key intermediates undergo a nucleophilic addition reaction to produce acetaldoxime, which is then dehydrated to acetonitrile and followed by hydrolysis to give acetamide under highly local alkaline environment and electric field. Moreover, the above mechanism was successfully extended to the formation of phenylacetamide. This study provides a new strategy to synthesize highly valued amides from CO₂ and wastewater.     

Gram-level NH3 Electrosynthesis via NOx reduction on a Cu Activated Co Electrode

Ambient electrochemical ammonia (NH₃) synthesis is one promising alternative to the energy-intensive Haber–Bosch route. However, the industrial requirement for the electrochemical NH₃ production with amperes current densities or gram-level NH₃ yield remains a grand challenge. Herein, we report the high-rate NH₃ production via NO₂⁻ reduction using the Cu activated Co electrode in a bipolar membrane (BPM) assemble electrolyser, wherein BPM maintains the ion balance and the liquid level of electrolyte. Benefited from the abundant Co sites and optimal structure, the target modified Co foam electrode delivers a current density of 2.64 A cm⁻² with the Faradaic efficiency of 96.45 % and the high NH₃ yield rate of 279.44 mg h⁻¹ cm⁻² in H-type cell using alkaline electrolyte. Combined with in situ experiments and theoretical calculations, we found that Cu optimizes the adsorption behavior of NO₂⁻ and facilitates the hydrogenation steps on Co sites toward a rapid NO₂⁻ reduction process. Importantly, this activated Co electrode affords a large NH₃ production up to 4.11 g h⁻¹ in a homemade reactor, highlighting its large-scale practical feasibility.     

Sustainable and High-Rate Electrosynthesis of Nitrogen Fertilizer

The conventional industrial production of nitrogen-containing fertilizers, such as urea and ammonia, relies heavily on energy-intensive processes, accounting for approximately 3 % of global annual CO₂ emissions. Herein, we report a sustainable electrocatalytic approach that realizes direct and selective synthesis of urea and ammonia from co-reduction of CO₂ and nitrates under ambient conditions. With the assistance of a copper (Cu)-based salphen organic catalyst, outstanding urea (3.64 mg h⁻¹ mg_cat⁻¹) and ammonia (9.73 mg h⁻¹ mg_cat⁻¹) yield rates are achieved, in addition to a remarkable Faradaic efficiency of 57.9±3 % for the former. This work proposes an appealing sustainable route to converting greenhouse gas and waste nitrates by renewable energies into value-added fertilizers.     

Supramolecular Enhancement of Electrochemical Nitrate Reduction Catalyzed by Cobalt Porphyrin Organic Cages for Ammonia Electrosynthesis in Water**

The electrochemical nitrate (NO₃⁻) reduction reaction (NO₃RR) to ammonia (NH₃) represents a sustainable approach for denitrification to balance global nitrogen cycles and an alternative to traditional thermal Haber-Bosch processes. Here, we present a supramolecular strategy for promoting NH₃ production in water from NO₃RR by integrating two-dimensional (2D) molecular cobalt porphyrin ( CoTPP ) units into a three-dimensional (3D) porous organic cage architecture. The porphyrin box CoPB-C8 enhances electrochemical active site exposure, facilitates substrate–catalyst interactions, and improves catalyst stability, leading to turnover numbers and frequencies for NH₃ production exceeding 200,000 and 56 s⁻¹, respectively. These values represent a 15-fold increase in NO₃RR activity and 200-mV improvement in overpotential for the 3D CoPB-C8 box structure compared to its 2D CoTPP counterpart. Synthetic tuning of peripheral alkyl substituents highlights the importance of supramolecular porosity and cavity size on electrochemical NO₃RR activity. These findings establish the incorporation of 2D molecular units into 3D confined space microenvironments as an effective supramolecular design strategy for enhancing electrocatalysis.     

CO2与HCN,NH3,H2O分子络合物的从头计算研究

用ab initio能量梯度法(3-21G基组)分别优化CO_2与HCN、NH_3、H_2O_3个分子络合物的平衡几何构型。结果表明HCN、NH_3和H_2O中的N或O原子与CO_2中的C原子之间形成较弱的范德华键,三者的范德华键键长分别为0.2865、0.2775、0.2543nm,稳定化能分别为14.8、27.0、31.2kJ·mol~(-1),3个分子络合物的构型都呈T型,对3个分子络合物的稳定化能的能量分解研究表明它们的形成主要靠静电作用能。     

Achieving High Single-Pass Carbon Conversion Efficiencies in Durable CO2 Electroreduction in Strong Acids via Electrode Structure Engineering

Acidic CO₂ reduction (CO₂R) holds promise for the synthesis of low-carbon-footprint chemicals using renewable electricity. However, the corrosion of catalysts in strong acids causes severe hydrogen evolution and rapid deterioration of CO₂R performance. Here, by coating catalysts with an electrically nonconductive nanoporous SiC-Nafion^TM layer, a near-neutral pH was stabilized on catalyst surfaces, thereby protecting the catalysts against corrosion for durable CO₂R in strong acids. Electrode microstructures played a critical role in regulating ion diffusion and stabilizing electrohydrodynamic flows near catalyst surfaces. This surface-coating strategy was applied to three catalysts, SnBi, Ag, and Cu, and they exhibited high activity over extended CO₂R operation in strong acids. Using a stratified SiC-Nafion^TM/SnBi/polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) electrode, constant production of formic acid was achieved with a single-pass carbon efficiency of >75 % and Faradaic efficiency of >90 % at 100 mA cm⁻² over 125 h at pH 1.     

CO2和N2电还原中缺陷及界面工程的最新进展

实现碳氮循环是人类社会发展的迫切要求,也是催化领域的热门研究课题。在可再生能源的推动下,电催化技术引起了人们的广泛关注,且可以通过改变反应电压获得不同的目标产品。基于此,电催化技术被认为是缓解当前能源危机和环境问题的有效策略,对实现碳中和具有重要意义。其中,电催化CO₂还原反应(CO₂RR)和N₂还原反应(N₂RR)是一种有前途的小分子转化策略。然而,CO₂和N₂均为线性分子,其中C＝O和N≡N键的高解离能导致了它们高的化学惰性。此外,最高占据分子轨道(HOMO)和最低未占分子轨道(LUMO)之间的巨大能量间隙使它们具有高的化学稳定性;且CO₂和N₂的低质子亲和力使它们难以被直接质子化。另一方面,由于CO₂RR和N₂RR与析氢反应(HER)具有相近的氧化还原电位,造成其与HER之间存在竞争性关系,这也是致使催化剂在CO₂RR和N₂RR转化效率低的重要影响因素。因此,CO₂RR和N₂RR仍然面临着过电位高及法拉第效率低等问题。为了克服这些瓶颈,人们为提升CO₂RR和N₂RR电催化剂性能做出了很多努力。众所周知,电催化过程发生在催化剂表面,主要涉及质量传递和电子转移等过程。由此可见,催化剂的性能与其质量和电子传输能力密切相关,而调控催化剂表面结构可以优化活性点的质量和电子转移行为。电催化剂的缺陷和界面工程可通过表面原子工程来实现电子结构调控,对于提高气体吸附能力、抑制HER、富集气体及稳定中间产物等具有重要意义。到目前为止,所报道的各种缺陷和复合电催化剂在提高CO₂RR和N₂RR催化性能等方面均表现出巨大的潜力。在此,我们综述了CO₂RR和N₂RR中催化剂缺陷工程及界面工程的最新进展;首先讨论了四种不同的缺陷(空位、高指数晶面、晶格应变和晶格无序)对CO₂RR和N₂RR性能的影响;然后,总结了界面工程在聚合物-无机复合材料催化剂中的重要作用,并给出了典型实例;最后,展望了原子级电催化剂工程的发展前景,提出了开发和设计高效CO₂RR和N₂RR电催化剂的未来发展方向。     

温和条件下CO2为原料电合成碳酸二甲酯

常温常压下, 研究了以CO₂和甲醇为原料电合成碳酸二甲酯的反应. 在四乙基溴化铵为支持电解质的乙腈溶液中, 通过恒电流电解得到了唯一的产物碳酸二甲酯. 为了优化电解条件, 分别考察了工作电极、电流密度、支持电解质、通电量以及电解前后加入甲醇顺序的不同等因素对该反应的影响. 以铜为工作电极, 石墨为对电极, 在17 mA•cm^－2的电流密度下恒电流电解, 当通过2 F•mol^－1的电量后, 碳酸二甲酯的产率可达74%, 大大高于文献报道值.     

CuOx/TiO2光催化水蒸气还原CO2

以商品TiO2-P25为原料,通过浸渍法负载一定量过渡金属Cu,得到一系列不同含量的CuOx/TiO2光催化剂。利用X射线衍射（XRD）,X－射线光电子能谱（XPS）,BET,高分辨率透射镜（HRTEM）,X射线荧光光谱（XRF）和光致发光光谱（PL）等方法对催化剂进行了详细表征,在自建的光催化反应器中评价了气态水光催化还原CO2反应的活性和CH4收率。结果表明负载CuOx后的TiO2纳米材料光催化性能显著提高,其中1%CuOx/TiO2样品紫外光照72 h后,CH4生成量达到了24.86 µmol•gTi-1。同时,CuOx负载量、反应温度、反应时间等因素对CH4收率均有显著影响。     

Synergizing Electron and Heat Flows in Photocatalyst for Direct Conversion of Captured CO2

We report a ternary hybrid photocatalyst architecture with tailored interfaces that boost the utilization of solar energy for photochemical CO₂ reduction by synergizing electron and heat flows in the photocatalyst. The photocatalyst comprises cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) molecules assembled on multiwalled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) that are decorated with nearly monodispersed cadmium sulfide quantum dots (CdS QDs). The CdS QDs absorb visible light and generate electron-hole pairs. The CNTs rapidly transfer the photogenerated electrons from CdS to CoPc. The CoPc molecules then selectively reduce CO₂ to CO. The interfacial dynamics and catalytic behavior are clearly revealed by time-resolved and in situ vibrational spectroscopies. In addition to serving as electron highways, the black body property of the CNT component can create local photothermal heating to activate amine-captured CO₂, namely carbamates, for direct photochemical conversion without additional energy input.     

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.     

Effects of the crystalline structure of Ga2O3 on the photocatalytic activity for CO production from CO2

Ga₂O₃ samples with different crystalline structures were prepared by calcination of a gallium nitrate powder around 800 K. Ga₂O₃ samples with mixed phases of γ and β showed high photocatalytic activity for CO production from CO₂ reduction with water, and the activity was even higher than that for an Ag-loaded β-Ga₂O_3. The photocatalytic activity increased with time. The increase was attributed to the appearance of GaOOH resulting from the interaction of Ga₂O₃ with water during the reaction as revealed by XRD and XPS analyses. In situ FT-IR measurements revealed that bicarbonates and bidentate carbonate species were adsorbed on GaOOH. Therefore, the increase of the photocatalytic activity with time would be derived from the formation of GaOOH phase on the γ-Ga₂O₃ and β-Ga₂O₃ sample.     

离子液体介导CO2化学转化研究进展

The efficient utilization of carbon dioxide (CO₂) as a C1 feedstock is of great significance for green and sustainable development. Therefore, the efficient chemical conversion of CO₂ into value-added products has recently attracted a lot of research attention in recent years. The transformation of CO₂ generally requires high-energy substrates, specific catalysts, and harsh reaction conditions due to its high thermodynamic stability and kinetic inertness. Consequently, several efforts have been dedicated toward the development of high-performance catalysts and new reaction routes for CO₂ conversion over the last few decades. To date, many routes of convert CO₂ into value-added chemicals have been proposed, together with the development of heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts. Among the advanced catalysts reported to date, ionic liquids (ILs) have been widely investigated and show great potential for the efficient, selective, and economical conversion of CO₂ into highly valuable products under mild conditions, even under ambient conditions. Some task-specific ILs have been designed with unique functional groups (e.g., —OH, —SO₃H, —NH₂, —COOH, and —C≡N), which can act as the solvent, absorbent, activating agent, catalyst, or cocatalyst to realize the transformation of CO₂ under metal-free and mild conditions. In addition, a variety of catalytic systems composed of ILs and metal catalysts have also been reported for the transformation of CO₂, in which the combination of the IL and metal catalyst is responsible for CO₂ conversion with high efficiency. In this review article, we summarize the recent advances in IL-mediated CO₂ transformation into chemicals prepared via C—O, C—N, C—S, C—H, and C—C bond forming processes. ILs that can chemically capture CO₂ with high capacity are first introduced, which can activate CO₂ via the formation of IL-based carbonates or carbamates, thus realizing the transformation of CO₂ under metal-free and mild conditions. Recent progress in IL-mediated CO₂ transformations to form carbonates and various kinds of N- and S-containing compounds (e.g., oxazolidinones, ureas, benzimidazolones, formamides, methylamines, benzothiazoles, and other chemicals) as well as CO₂ hydrogenation to give formic acid, methane, acetic acid, low-carbon alcohols, and hydrocarbons has been summarized in this review with a focus on the reaction routes, catalytic systems, and reaction mechanism. In these reactions, ILs can simultaneously activate the substrate via strong H-bonding in addition to activating CO₂, and the cooperative effects among the ionic and molecular species and metal catalysts accomplish the reactions of CO₂ with various kinds of substrates to afford a wide range of value-added chemicals. Finally, the shortcomings and perspectives of ILs are discussed. In short, IL-mediated CO₂ transformations provide green and effective routes for the synthesis of high-value chemicals, which may have great potential for a wide range of applications.     

La2O3对Ni-Mo/γ-Al2O3催化剂CO和CO2甲烷化的影响

采用浸渍法制备了一系列Ｎｉ－Ｍｏ－Ｌａ／γ－Ａｌ２Ｏ３催化剂并测定了催化剂的ＣＯ和ＣＯ２甲 化活性采用ＴＥＭ,ＸＰＳ和ＣＯ化学吸附等手段研究了表面性质。结果表明,Ｌａ２Ｏ３的咖入提高了Ｎｉ－Ｍｏ／γ／Ａｌ２Ｏ３催化剂的ＣＯ和ＣＯ２甲烷化活性,增加了催化剂中Ｎｉ的分散度,活性表面积及催化剂表面Ｎｉ原子的浓度,降低了电子结合能。     

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.     

还原温度对Ni／Al2O3催化剂上H2,CO吸附的影响

采用程序升温还原与程序升温逐步活化、Ｈ２、ＣＯ室温吸附、Ｈ２程序升温脱附相结合的方法，研究了Ｎｉ／Ａｌ２Ｏ３催化剂上还原活化温度对其吸脱附性能的影响．实验发现，Ｎｉ／Ａｌ２Ｏ３催化剂上，在不同温度还原的不同Ｎｉ氧化物物种，经相应温度活化后可形成不同性质的Ｈ２、ＣＯ吸附中心．催化剂经５２３Ｋ及５７３Ｋ活化后可形成极细的与Ａｌ２Ｏ３有一定相互作用的吸附中心，在这类中心上，Ｈ２的室温吸附量极小，但有一定的高温Ｈ２吸附量，且高温吸附的Ｈ２要在较高温度下才能脱附，ＣＯ在其上则可能是按单金属中心多ＣＯ方式吸附的．催化剂经６７３Ｋ和７２３Ｋ活化后均形成较强的Ｈ２、ＣＯ吸附中心，ＣＯ在这些中心上可能是按线式和桥式两种方式吸附的．催化剂经６７３Ｋ活化后，形成的中心上吸附的Ｈ２可在相对较低的温度下脱附．Ｎｉ／Ａｌ２Ｏ３经７７３Ｋ处理会发生烧结，因而丧失室温Ｈ２、ＣＯ吸附能力．     

Metal-Free Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction to CH4 and H2O2 under Non-sacrificial Ambient Conditions

Photocatalytic CO₂ reduction to CH₄ requires photosensitizers and sacrificial agents to provide sufficient electrons and protons through metal-based photocatalysts, and the separation of CH₄ from by-product O₂ has poor applications. Herein, we successfully synthesize a metal-free photocatalyst of a novel electron-acceptor 4,5,9,10-pyrenetetrone (PT), to our best knowledge, this is the first time that metal-free catalyst achieves non-sacrificial photocatalytic CO₂ to CH₄ and easily separable H₂O₂. This photocatalyst offers CH₄ product of 10.6 μmol ⋅ g⁻¹ ⋅ h⁻¹ under non-sacrificial ambient conditions (room temperature, and only water), which is two orders of magnitude higher than that of the reported metal-free photocatalysts. Comprehensive in situ characterizations and calculations reveal a multi-step reaction mechanism, in which the long-lived oxygen-centered radical in the excited PT provides as a site for CO₂ activation, resulting in a stabilized cyclic carbonate intermediate with a lower formation energy. This key intermediate is thermodynamically crucial for the subsequent reduction to CH₄ product with the electronic selectivity of up to 90 %. The work provides fresh insights on the economic viability of photocatalytic CO₂ reduction to easily separable CH₄ in non-sacrificial and metal-free conditions.     

Tailoring Active Cu2O/Copper Interface Sites for N-Formylation of Aliphatic Primary Amines with CO2/H2

Heterogeneously catalyzed N-formylation of amines to formamide with CO₂/H₂ is highly attractive for the valorization of CO₂. However, the relationship of the catalytic performance with the catalyst structure is still elusive. Herein, mixed valence catalysts containing Cu₂O/Cu interface sites were constructed for this transformation. Both aliphatic primary and secondary amines with diverse structures were efficiently converted into the desired formamides with good to excellent yields. Combined ex and in situ catalyst characterization revealed that the presence of Cu₂O/Cu interface sites was vital for the excellent catalytic activity. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations demonstrated that better catalytic activity of Cu₂O/Cu(111) than Cu(111) is attributed to the assistance of oxygen at the Cu₂O/Cu interface (O_inter) in formation of O_inter-H moieties, which not only reduce the apparent barrier of HCOOH formation but also benefit the desorption of the desired N-formylated amine, leading to high activity and selectivity.