ZIF-8基复合材料高效、稳定电催化还原CO2

电催化CO₂还原反应(eCO₂RR)受到催化剂本征活性以及传质的限制，导致材料的催化活性低、反应起始电位高等问题。我们以类沸石锌盐咪唑骨架(ZIF-8)材料为研究对象，探究了不同粒径ZIF-8材料的eCO₂RR性能。优选粒径为50 nm的ZIF-8材料，进一步引入碳纳米管(CNT)作为其导电基底材料，通过原位生长，构建了复合材料ZIF-8-50@CNT的多级孔结构和疏水界面。eCO₂RR实验结果表明，CNT的引入提高了催化剂的导电性，优化后的复合材料有效地降低了反应的起始电位。在-1.1 V (相对可逆氢电极(RHE))电位下，CO部分电流密度为15.6 mA·cm^-2，ZIF-8-50@CNT催化剂的比表面活性提升了3.5倍(相比ZIF-8-50)，塔菲尔斜率降低到136 mV·dec^-1。并且产物CO的选择性和稳定性得到了提高，在宽电势窗口-0.9~-1.2 V (vs RHE)内，CO的法拉第效率(FE)保持在80%以上。在10 h稳定性测试中，催化剂活性保持稳定，整体增强了复合材料eCO₂RR的性能。     

ZIF-8基复合材料高效、稳定电催化还原CO2

电催化CO₂还原反应(eCO₂RR)受到催化剂本征活性以及传质的限制,导致材料的催化活性低、反应起始电位高等问题。我们以类沸石锌盐咪唑骨架(ZIF-8)材料为研究对象,探究了不同粒径ZIF-8材料的eCO₂RR性能。优选粒径为50 nm的ZIF-8材料,进一步引入碳纳米管(CNT)作为其导电基底材料,通过原位生长,构建了复合材料ZIF-8-50@CNT的多级孔结构和疏水界面。eCO₂RR实验结果表明,CNT的引入提高了催化剂的导电性,优化后的复合材料有效地降低了反应的起始电位。在-1.1 V(相对可逆氢电极(RHE))电位下,CO部分电流密度为15.6 mA·cm^-2,ZIF-8-50@CNT催化剂的比表面活性提升了3.5倍(相比ZIF-8-50),塔菲尔斜率降低到136 mV·dec^-1。并且产物CO的选择性和稳定性得到了提高,在宽电势窗口-0.9～-1.2 V(vs RHE)内,CO的法拉第效率(FE)保持在80%以上。在10 h稳定性测试中,催化剂活...     

Simultaneous Capture of CO2 Boosting Its Electroreduction in the Micropores of a Metal–organic Framework

Integration of CO₂ capture capability from simulated flue gas and electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (eCO₂RR) active sites into a catalyst is a promising cost-effective strategy for carbon neutrality, but is of great difficulty. Herein, combining the mixed gas breakthrough experiments and eCO₂RR tests, we showed that an Ag₁₂ cluster-based metal–organic framework ( 1-NH₂ , aka Ag₁₂bpy-NH₂ ), simultaneously possessing CO₂ capture sites as “CO₂ relays” and eCO₂RR active sites, can not only utilize its micropores to efficiently capture CO₂ from simulated flue gas (CO₂ : N₂=15 : 85, at 298 K), but also catalyze eCO₂RR of the adsorbed CO₂ into CO with an ultra-high CO₂ conversion of 60 %. More importantly, its eCO₂RR performance (a Faradaic efficiency (CO) of 96 % with a commercial current density of 120 mA cm⁻² at a very low cell voltage of −2.3 V for 300 hours and the full-cell energy conversion efficiency of 56 %) under simulated flue gas atmosphere is close to that under 100 % CO₂ atmosphere, and higher than those of all reported catalysts at higher potentials under 100 % CO₂ atmosphere. This work bridges the gap between CO₂ enrichment/capture and eCO₂RR.     

Seeing is believing: In-situ visualising dynamic evolution in CO2 electrolysis

CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR), as a promising carbon neutral strategy, enables the production of valuable chemicals and fuels from greenhouse gas. Despite tremendous efforts in developing CO₂RR catalysts to improve activity, selectivity and stability, mechanisms behind the catalytic performance, however, are still under-explored owing largely to limited characterisation capability. In this review, advances in in-situ imaging technologies for studying CO₂RR have been overviewed. These technologies emerge as powerful tools to track the transformation of catalyst materials over real-time and space, under CO₂RR operating conditions. The review discusses emerging opportunities in the direction of combined in-situ characterisation techniques and machine learning to aid further discovery of structure–function relationships in CO₂RR.     

Strategies for Designing Nanoparticles for Electro‐ and Photocatalytic CO2 Reduction

Conversion of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into value‐added chemicals has attracted much attention because it can not only resolve global warming issues by reducing CO₂ accumulation in the atmosphere, but also produce renewable hydrocarbon fuels that are important feedstocks for the chemical industry. Among the diverse approaches reported, CO₂ reduction via electro‐ and photocatalytic methods is at the center of topics due to potential engineering of reaction performance through rational design of catalyst features. In this Minireview, we highlight recent strategies for designing nanoparticles to maximize the reaction efficiency and selectivity; from a materials viewpoint, these strategies can provide critical information to guide future research directions.     

Surface-Modified Carbon Materials for CO2 Electroreduction

The electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to produce sustainable fuels and chemicals has attracted great attention in recent years. It is shown that surface-modified carbons catalyze the CO₂RR. This study reports a strategy to modify the surface of commercially available carbon materials by adding oxygen and nitrogen surface groups without modifying its graphitic structure. Clear differences in CO₂RR activity, selectivity and the turnover frequency between the surface-modified carbons were observed, and these differences were ascribed to the nature of the surface groups chemistry and the point of zero charge (PZC). The results show that nitrogen-containing surface groups are highly selective towards the formation of CO from the electroreduction of CO₂ in comparison with the oxygen-containing surface groups, and the carbon without surface groups. This demonstrates that the selectivity of carbon for CO₂RR can be rationally tuned by simply altering the surface chemistry via surface functionalization.     

Metal-Organic Frameworks for Efficient Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide

The large concentration of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the atmosphere can be utilized in industrial production using effective electrocatalysts such as metal-organic frameworks (MOFs). Due to good properties such as high surface area, designable functionality, and uniform constitution, MOFs are regarded as promising electrocatalysts for the carbon dioxide electrochemical reduction reaction (eCO₂RR). This review covers the importance, challenges, and mechanism of eCO₂RR, and simply discusses the progress in the synthesis methods and characterization of MOFs. The review also thoroughly discusses the advances of single metal-based MOFs, mixed metal-based MOFs, and MOF derivatives as electrocatalysts for efficient eCO₂RR.     

Sulfur Changes the Electrochemical CO2 Reduction Pathway over Cu Electrocatalysts

Electrochemical CO₂ reduction to value-added chemicals or fuels offers a promising approach to reduce carbon emissions and alleviate energy shortage. Cu-based electrocatalysts have been widely reported as capable of reducing CO₂ to produce a variety of multicarbon products (e.g., ethylene and ethanol). In this work, we develop sulfur-doped Cu₂O electrocatalysts, which instead can electrochemically reduce CO₂ to almost exclusively formate. We show that a dynamic equilibrium of S exists at the Cu₂O-electrolyte interface, and S-doped Cu₂O undergoes in situ surface reconstruction to generate active S-adsorbed metallic Cu sites during the CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations together with in situ infrared absorption spectroscopy measurements show that the S-adsorbed metallic Cu surface can not only promote the formation of the *OCHO intermediate but also greatly suppress *H and *COOH adsorption, thus facilitating CO₂-to-formate conversion during the electrochemical CO₂RR.     

Cu2O-Ag Tandem Catalysts for Selective Electrochemical Reduction of CO2 to C2 Products

The electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO₂RR) to C₂ chemicals has received great attention. Here, we report the cuprous oxide (Cu₂O) nanocubes cooperated with silver (Ag) nanoparticles via the replacement reaction for a synergetic CO₂RR. The Cu₂O-Ag tandem catalyst exhibits an impressive Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 72.85% for C₂ products with a partial current density of 243.32 mA·cm⁻². The electrochemical experiments and density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the introduction of Ag improves the intermediate CO concentration on the catalyst surface and meanwhile reduces the C-C coupling reaction barrier energy, which is favorable for the synthesis of C₂ products.     

Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Ethanol: An Approach to Transforming Greenhouse Gas to Fuel Source

Converting carbon dioxide (CO₂) into high-value fuels or chemicals is considered as a promising way to utilize CO₂ and alleviate the excessive greenhouse gas emission. Among multiple catalysis approaches, electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to ethanol has an important prospect due to the high energy density and widely applications of ethanol. In recent years, many electrocatalysts for CO₂ reduce reaction (CO₂RR) have shown promising catalytic activity for ethanol production. In this review, we will introduce the recent progress in this field. The basic principles and electrochemical performances of CO₂RR are reviewed at first. Then, several categories of active electrocatalysts for CO₂RR to ethanol are summarized, including the discussion of reaction mechanism and catalytic sites. Finally, several possible strategies are proposed, providing guidance for future design and preparation of high-performance catalysts.     

Recent advances in single atom catalysts for the electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction

The electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO₂RR) offers a promising solution to mitigate carbon emission and at the same time generate valuable carbonaceous chemicals/fuels. Single atom catalysts (SACs) are encouraging to catalyze the electrochemical CO₂RR due to the tunable electronic structure of the central metal atoms, which can regulate the adsorption energy of reactants and reaction intermediates. Moreover, SACs form a bridge between homogeneous and heterogeneous catalysts, providing an ideal platform to explore the reaction mechanism of electrochemical reactions. In this review, we first discuss the strategies for promoting the CO₂RR performance, including suppression of the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), generation of C₁ products and formation of C₂₊ products. Then, we summarize the recent developments in regulating the structure of SACs toward the CO₂RR based on the above aspects. Finally, several issues regarding the development of SACs for the CO₂RR are raised and possible solutions are provided.

The electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO₂RR) offers a promising solution to mitigate carbon emission and at the same time generate valuable carbonaceous chemicals/fuels.     

Electrochemical CO2 Activation and Valorization on Metallic Copper and Carbon-Embedded N-Coordinated Single Metal MNC Catalysts

The electrochemical reductive valorization of CO₂, referred to as the CO2RR, is an emerging approach for the conversion of CO₂-containing feeds into valuable carbonaceous fuels and chemicals, with potential contributions to carbon capture and use (CCU) for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Copper surfaces and graphene-embedded, N-coordinated single metal atom (MNC) catalysts exhibit distinctive reactivity, attracting attention as efficient electrocatalysts for CO2RR. This review offers a comparative analysis of CO2RR on copper surfaces and MNC catalysts, highlighting their unique characteristics in terms of CO₂ activation, C₁/C₂₍₊₎ product formation, and the competing hydrogen evolution pathway. The assessment underscores the significance of understanding structure–activity relationships to optimize catalyst design for efficient and selective CO2RR. Examining detailed reaction mechanisms and structure-selectivity patterns, the analysis explores recent insights into changes in the chemical catalyst states, atomic motif rearrangements, and fractal agglomeration, providing essential kinetic information from advanced in/ex situ microscopy/spectroscopy techniques. At the end, this review addresses future challenges and solutions related to today's disconnect between our current molecular understanding of structure–activity-selectivity relations in CO2RR and the relevant factors controlling the performance of CO₂ electrolyzers over longer times, with larger electrode sizes, and at higher current densities.     

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.     

Constructing low-valent Ni nanoparticles for highly selective CO2 reduction

The electroreduction of CO₂（CO₂RR） into value-added chemicals is a sustainable strategy for mitigating global warming and managing the global carbon balance. However, developing an efficient and selective catalyst is still the central challenge. Here, we developed a simple two-step pyrolysis method to confine low-valent Ni-based nanoparticles within nitrogen-doped carbon（Ni-NC）. As a result, such Ni-based nanoparticles can effectively reduce CO₂ to CO, with a max...     

The atomic-level regulation of single-atom site catalysts for the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction

The electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) is viewed as a promising way to remove the greenhouse gas CO₂ from the atmosphere and convert it into useful industrial products such as methane, methanol, formate, ethanol, and so forth. Single-atom site catalysts (SACs) featuring maximum theoretical atom utilization and a unique electronic structure and coordination environment have emerged as promising candidates for use in the CO₂RR. The electronic properties and atomic structures of the central metal sites in SACs will be changed significantly once the types or coordination environments of the central metal sites are altered, which appears to provide new routes for engineering SACs for CO₂ electrocatalysis. Therefore, it is of great importance to discuss the structural regulation of SACs at the atomic level and their influence on CO₂RR activity and selectivity. Despite substantial efforts being made to fabricate various SACs, the principles of regulating the intrinsic electrocatalytic performances of the single-atom sites still needs to be sufficiently emphasized. In this perspective article, we present the latest progress relating to the synthesis and catalytic performance of SACs for the electrochemical CO₂RR. We summarize the atomic-level regulation of SACs for the electrochemical CO₂RR from five aspects: the regulation of the central metal atoms, the coordination environments, the interface of single metal complex sites, multi-atom active sites, and other ingenious strategies to improve the performance of SACs. We highlight synthesis strategies and structural design approaches for SACs with unique geometric structures and discuss how the structure affects the catalytic properties.

Electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) is a promising way to remove CO₂ and convert it into useful industrial products. Single-atom site catalysts provide opportunities to regulate the active sites of CO₂RR catalysts at the atomic level.     

The Functionality of Surface Hydroxy Groups on the Selectivity and Activity of Carbon Dioxide Reduction over Cuprous Oxide in Aqueous Solutions

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) reduction in aqueous solutions is an attractive strategy for carbon capture and utilization. Cuprous oxide (Cu₂O) is a promising catalyst for CO₂ reduction as it can convert CO₂ into valuable hydrocarbons and suppress the side hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). However, the nature of the active sites in Cu₂O remains under debate because of the complex surface structure of Cu₂O under reducing conditions, leading to limited guidance in designing improved Cu₂O catalysts. This paper describes the functionality of surface‐bonded hydroxy groups on partially reduced Cu₂O(111) for the CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) by combined density functional theory (DFT) calculations and experimental studies. We find that the surface hydroxy groups play a crucial role in the CO₂RR and HER, and a moderate coverage of hydroxy groups is optimal for promotion of the CO₂RR and suppression of the HER simultaneously. Electronic structure analysis indicates that the charge transfer from hydroxy groups to coordination‐unsaturated Cu (Cu_CUS) sites stabilizes surface‐adsorbed COOH*, which is a key intermediate during the CO₂RR. Moreover, the CO₂RR was evaluated over Cu₂O octahedral catalysts with {111} facets and different surface coverages of hydroxy groups, which demonstrates that Cu₂O octahedra with moderate coverage of hydroxy groups can indeed enhance the CO₂RR and suppress the HER.     

Key factors for designing single-atom metal-nitrogen-carbon catalysts for electrochemical CO2 reduction

The electrochemical CO₂ reduction (CO₂RR) is a sustainable approach to mitigate the increased CO₂ emissions and simultaneously produce value-added chemicals and fuels. Metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N-C) based single-atom catalysts (SACs) have emerged as promising electrocatalysts for CO₂RR with high activity, selectivity, and stability. To design efficient SACs for CO₂RR, the key influence factors need to be understood. Here, we summarize recent achievements on M-N-C SACs for CO₂RR and highlight the significance of the key constituting factors, metal sites, the coordination environment, and the substrates, for achieving high CO₂RR performance. The perspective views and guidelines are provided for the future direction of developing M-N-C SACs as CO₂RR catalysts.     

CO\begin{document}$ _{2} $\end{document} Reduction on Metal-Doped SnO\begin{document}$ _{2} $\end{document}(110) Surface Catalysts: Manipulating the Product by Changing the Ratio of Sn:O

The electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO₂RR) producing HCOOH and CO is one of the most promising approaches for storing renewable electricity as chemical energy in fuels. SnO₂ is a good catalyst for CO₂-to-HCOOH or CO₂-to-CO conversion, with different crystal planes participating the catalytic process. Among them, (110) surface SnO₂ is very stable and easy to synthesisze. By changing the ratio of Sn: O for SnO₂(110), we have two typical SnO₂ thin films: fully oxidized (stoichiometric) and partially reduced. In this work, we are concerned with different metals (Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ru, Rh, Pd, Ag, Os, Ir, Pt, and Au)-doped SnO₂(110) with different activity and selectivity for CO₂RR. All these changes are manipulated by adjusting the ratio of Sn: O in (110) surface. The results show that stochiometric and reduced Cu/Ag doped SnO₂(110) have different selectivity for CO₂RR. More specifically, stochiometric Cu/Ag-doped SnO₂(110) tends to generate CO(g). Meanwhile, the reduced surface tends to generate HCOOH(g). Moreover, we also considered the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The catalysts SnO₂(110) doped by Ru, Rh, Pd, Os, Ir, and Pt have high activity for HER, and others are good catalysts for CO₂RR.     

Self-Accelerating Effect in a Covalent–Organic Framework with Imidazole Groups Boosts Electroreduction of CO2 to CO

Solvent effect plays an important role in catalytic reaction, but there is little research and attention on it in electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (eCO₂RR). Herein, we report a stable covalent-organic framework (denoted as PcNi-im ) with imidazole groups as a new electrocatalyst for eCO₂RR to CO. Interestingly, compared with neutral conditions, PcNi-im not only showed high Faraday efficiency of CO product (≈100 %) under acidic conditions (pH ≈ 1), but also the partial current density was increased from 258 to 320 mA cm⁻². No obvious degradation was observed over 10 hours of continuous operation at the current density of 250 mA cm⁻². The mechanism study shows that the imidazole group on the framework can be protonated to form an imidazole cation in acidic media, hence reducing the surface work function and charge density of the active metal center. As a result, CO poisoning effect is weakened and the key intermediate *COOH is also stabilized, thus accelerating the catalytic reaction rate.