Boosting Electrocatalytic Carbon Dioxide Reduction via Self-Relaxation of Asymmetric Coordination in Fe-Based Single Atom Catalyst

Addressing the limitations arising from the consistent catalytic behavior observed for various intermediates during the electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO₂RR) poses a significant challenge in the optimization of catalytic activity. In this study, we aimed to address this challenge by constructing an asymmetric coordination Fe single atom catalyst (SCA) with a dynamically evolved structure. Our catalyst, consisting of a Fe atom coordinated with one S atom and three N atoms (Fe−S₁N₃), exhibited exceptional selectivity (CO Faradaic efficiency of 99.02 %) and demonstrated a high intrinsic activity (TOF of 7804.34 h⁻¹), and remarkable stability. Using operando XAFS spectra and Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations, we elucidated the self-relaxation of geometric distortion and dynamic evolution of bond lengths within the catalyst. These structure changes enabled independent regulation of the *COOH and *CO intermediate adsorption energies, effectively breaking the linear scale relationship and enhancing the intrinsic activity of CO₂RR. This study provides valuable insights into the dynamic evolution of SACs and paves the way for targeted catalyst designs aimed to disrupt the linear scaling relationships.     

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.     

单原子催化剂电催化还原二氧化碳研究进展

电催化CO₂还原能够在常温常压下利用电能将CO₂转化为含碳清洁能源,具有很好的应用前景。 但其应用仍受缓慢的阴极催化剂限制。众所周知,催化剂的尺寸对其活性有很大的影响,将金属催化剂减少到纳米颗粒级别,能够显著提升其暴露的活性位点数和本征活性,从而提升其催化性能。在这一思路下,如果将催化剂的尺寸降低到单原子分散级别,催化剂的活性能够得到明显提升。近几年,由于单原子分散催化剂具有特殊的微观几何结构和电子态,已经成为电催化还原CO₂领域的研究热点。在本综述中,对单原子分散催化剂在电催化还原CO₂方面的研究进行了总结和回顾,并对未来单原子分散催化剂在电催化还原CO₂领域的难点问题和进一步研究方向进行了分析和讨论。     

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.     

Surface Water as an Initial Proton Source for the Electrochemical CO Reduction Reaction on Copper Surfaces

We have employed in situ electrochemical shell-isolated nanoparticle-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SHINERS) and density functional theory (DFT) calculations to study the CO reduction reaction (CORR) on Cu single-crystal surfaces under various conditions. Coadsorbed and structure-/potential-dependent surface species, including *CO, Cu−O_ad, and Cu−OH_ad, were identified using electrochemical spectroscopy and isotope labeling. The relative abundance of *OH follows a “volcano” trend with applied potentials in aqueous solutions, which is yet absent in absolute alcoholic solutions. Combined with DFT calculations, we propose that the surface H₂O can serve as a strong proton donor for the first protonation step in both the C₁ and C₂ pathways of CORR at various applied potentials in alkaline electrolytes, leaving adsorbed *OH on the surface. This work provides fresh insights into the initial protonation steps and identity of key interfacial intermediates formed during CORR on Cu surfaces.     

Surface Adsorbed Hydroxyl: A Double-Edged Sword in Electrochemical CO2 Reduction over Oxide-Derived Copper

Oxide-derived Cu (OD−Cu) featured with surface located sub-20 nm nanoparticles (NPs) created via surface structure reconstruction was developed for electrochemical CO₂ reduction (ECO₂RR). With surface adsorbed hydroxyls (OH_ad) identified during ECO₂RR, it is realized that OH_ad, sterically confined and adsorbed at OD−Cu by surface located sub-20 nm NPs, should be determinative to the multi-carbon (C₂) product selectivity. In situ spectral investigations and theoretical calculations reveal that OH_ad favors the adsorption of low-frequency *CO with weak C≡O bonds and strengthens the *CO binding at OD−Cu surface, promoting *CO dimerization and then selective C₂ production. However, excessive OH_ad would inhibit selective C₂ production by occupying active sites and facilitating competitive H₂ evolution. In a flow cell, stable C₂ production with high selectivity of ∼60 % at −200 mA cm⁻² could be achieved over OD−Cu, with adsorption of OH_ad well steered in the fast flowing electrolyte.     

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.     

Sulfone-Modified Covalent Organic Frameworks Enabling Efficient Photocatalytic Hydrogen Peroxide Generation via One-Step Two-Electron O2 Reduction

Photocatalytic oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) offers a promising hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) synthetic strategy, especially the one-step two-electron (2e⁻) ORR route holds great potential in achieving highly efficient and selectivity. However, efficient one-step 2e⁻ ORR is rarely harvested and the underlying mechanism for regulating the ORR pathways remains greatly obscure. Here, by loading sulfone units into covalent organic frameworks (FS-COFs), we present an efficient photocatalyst for H₂O₂ generation via one-step 2e⁻ ORR from pure water and air. Under visible light irradiation, FS-COFs exert a superb H₂O₂ yield of 3904.2 μmol h⁻¹ g⁻¹, outperforming most reported metal-free catalysts under similar conditions. Experimental and theoretical investigation reveals that the sulfone units accelerate the separation of photoinduced electron-hole (e⁻-h⁺) pairs, enhance the protonation of COFs, and promote O₂ adsorption in the Yeager-type, which jointly alters the reaction process from two-step 2e⁻ ORR to the one-step one, thereby achieving efficient H₂O₂ generation with high selectivity.     

A Resin-Supported Formate Catalyst for the Transformative Reduction of Carbon Dioxide with Hydrosilanes

A heterogeneous formate anion catalyst for the transformative reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂) based on a polystyrene and divinylbenzene copolymer modified with alkylammonium formate was prepared from a widely available anion exchange resin. The catalyst preparation was easy and the characterization was carried out by using elemental analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and solid-state ¹³C cross-polarization/magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (¹³C CP/MAS NMR) spectroscopy. The catalyst displayed good catalytic activity for the direct reduction of CO₂ with hydrosilanes, tunably yielding silylformate or methoxysilane products depending on the hydrosilanes used. The catalyst was also active for the reductive insertion of CO₂ into both primary and secondary amines. The catalytic activity of the resin-supported formate can be predicted from the FTIR spectra of the catalyst, probably because of the difference in the ionic interaction strength between the supported alkylammonium cations and formate anions. The ion pair density is thought to influence the catalytic activity, as shown by the elemental and solid-state ¹³C NMR analyses.     

A Water-Soluble Sodium Pectate Complex with Copper as an Electrochemical Catalyst for Carbon Dioxide Reduction

A selective noble-metal-free molecular catalyst has emerged as a fruitful approach in the quest for designing efficient and stable catalytic materials for CO₂ reduction. In this work, we report that a sodium pectate complex of copper (PG-NaCu) proved to be highly active in the electrocatalytic conversion of CO₂ to CH₄ in water. Stability and selectivity of conversion of CO₂ to CH₄ as a product at a glassy carbon electrode were discovered. The copper complex PG-NaCu was synthesized and characterized by physicochemical methods. The electrochemical CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) proceeds at −1.5 V vs. Ag/AgCl at ~10 mA/cm² current densities in the presence of the catalyst. The current density decreases by less than 20% within 12 h of electrolysis (the main decrease occurs in the first 3 h of electrolysis in the presence of CO₂). This copper pectate complex (PG-NaCu) combines the advantages of heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts, the stability of heterogeneous solid materials and the performance (high activity and selectivity) of molecular catalysts.     

Post-Nickelation of a Crystalline Trinuclear Copper Organic Framework for Synergistic Photocatalytic Carbon Dioxide Conversion

Rational regulation of electronic structures and functionalities of framework materials still remains challenging. Herein, reaction of 4,4′,4′′-nitrilo-tribenzhydrazide with tris(μ₂-4-carboxaldehyde-pyrazolato-N,N′)-tricopper (Cu₃Py₃) generates the crystalline copper organic framework USTB-11(Cu). Post-modification with divalent nickel ions affords the heterometallic framework USTB-11(Cu,Ni). Powder X-ray diffraction and theoretical simulations reveal their two-dimensional hexagonal structure geometry. A series of advanced spectroscopic techniques disclose the mixed Cu^I/Cu^II state nature of Cu₃Py₃ in USTB-11(Cu,Ni) with a uniform bistable Cu₃⁴⁺(Cu^I₂Cu^II) : Cu₃⁵⁺(Cu^ICu^II₂) (ca. 1 : 3) oxidation state, resulting in a significantly improved formation efficiency of the charge-separation state. This endows the Ni sites with enhanced activity and USTB-11(Cu,Ni) with outstanding photocatalytic CO₂ to CO performance with a conversion rate of 22 130 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ and selectivity of 98 %.     

Photoelectrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide with a Copper Graphitic Carbon Nitride Photocathode

Research on the photoreduction of CO₂ often has been dominated by the use of sacrificial reducing agents. A pathway that avoids this problem would be the development of photocathodes for CO₂ reduction that could then be coupled to a photoanodic oxygen evolution reaction. Here, we present the use of copper-substituted graphitic carbon nitride (Cu−CN) on a fluorinated tin oxide (FTO) electrode for the photoelectrochemical two-electron reduction of CO₂ to CO as a major product (>95 %) and formic acid (<5 %). The results show that at a potential of −2.5 V versus Fc\Fc⁺ the CO₂ reduction activity of Cu−CN on FTO electrode improves by 25 % upon illumination by visible light with a faradaic efficiency of nearly 100 %. Independently, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy conclusively shows a pronounced increase in the electrical conductivity of the Cu−CN upon white light illumination under vacuum and a contactless measuring configuration. This photo-assisted charge mobility is shown to play a key role in the increased reactivity and faradaic efficiency for the reduction of CO₂.     

A Fully Conjugated Covalent Organic Framework with Oxidative and Reductive Sites for Photocatalytic Carbon Dioxide Reduction with Water

Constructing a powerful photocatalytic system that can achieve the carbon dioxide (CO₂) reduction half-reaction and the water (H₂O) oxidation half-reaction simultaneously is a very challenging but meaningful task. Herein, a porous material with a crystalline topological network, named viCOF-bpy-Re, was rationally synthesized by incorporating rhenium complexes as reductive sites and triazine ring structures as oxidative sites via robust −C=C− bond linkages. The charge-separation ability of viCOF-bpy-Re is promoted by low polarized π-bridges between rhenium complexes and triazine ring units, and the efficient charge-separation enables the photogenerated electron–hole pairs, followed by an intramolecular charge-transfer process, to form photogenerated electrons involved in CO₂ reduction and photogenerated holes that participate in H₂O oxidation simultaneously. The viCOF-bpy-Re shows the highest catalytic photocatalytic carbon monoxide (CO) production rate (190.6 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹ with about 100 % selectivity) and oxygen (O₂) evolution (90.2 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹) among all the porous catalysts in CO₂ reduction with H₂O as sacrificial agents. Therefore, a powerful photocatalytic system was successfully achieved, and this catalytic system exhibited excellent stability in the catalysis process for 50 hours. The structure–function relationship was confirmed by femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory calculations.     

A Bismuth-Based Zeolitic Organic Framework with Coordination-Linked Metal Cages for Efficient Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction to HCOOH

Zeolitic metal–organic frameworks (ZMOFs) have emerged as one of the most promsing catalysts for energy conversion, but they suffer from either weak bonding between metal-organic cubes (MOCs) that decrease their stability during catalysis processes or low activity due to inadequate active sites. In this work, through ligand-directing strategy, we successfully obtain an unprecedented bismuth-based ZMOF (Bi-ZMOF) featuring a ACO topological crystal structure with strong coordination bonding between the Bi-based cages. As a result, it enables efficient reduction of CO₂ to formic acid (HCOOH) with Faradaic efficiency as high as 91 %. A combination of in situ surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy and density functional theory calculation reveals that the Bi−N coordination contributes to facilitating charge transfer from N to Bi atoms, which stabilize the intermediate to boost the reduction efficiency of CO₂ to HCOOH. This finding highlights the importance of the coordination environment of metal active sites on electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction. We believe that this work will offer a new clue to rationally design zeolitic MOFs for catalytic reaction     

Efficient Electrocatalytic Reduction of CO2 by Nitrogen-Doped Nanoporous Carbon/Carbon Nanotube Membranes: A Step Towards the Electrochemical CO2 Refinery

Herein we introduce a straightforward, low cost, scalable, and technologically relevant method to manufacture an all-carbon, electroactive, nitrogen-doped nanoporous-carbon/carbon-nanotube composite membrane, dubbed “HNCM/CNT”. The membrane is demonstrated to function as a binder-free, high-performance gas diffusion electrode for the electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to formate. The Faradaic efficiency (FE) for the production of formate is 81 %. Furthermore, the robust structural and electrochemical properties of the membrane endow it with excellent long-term stability.     

A Stable and Conductive Metallophthalocyanine Framework for Electrocatalytic Carbon Dioxide Reduction in Water

Transformation of carbon dioxide to high value‐added chemicals becomes a significant challenge for clean energy studies. Here a stable and conductive covalent organic framework was developed for electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction to carbon monoxide in aqueous solution. The cobalt(II) phthalocyanine catalysts are topologically connected via robust phenazine linkage into a two‐dimensional tetragonal framework that is stable under boiling water, acid, or base conditions. The 2D lattice enables full π conjugation along x and y directions as well as π conduction along the z axis across the π columns. With these structural features, the electrocatalytic framework exhibits a faradaic efficiency of 96 %, an exceptional turnover number up to 320 000, and a long‐term turnover frequency of 11 412 hour^?1, which is a 32‐fold improvement over molecular catalyst. The combination of catalytic activity, selectivity, efficiency, and durability is desirable for clean energy production.     

Non-Interacting Ni and Fe Dual-Atom Pair Sites in N-Doped Carbon Catalysts for Efficient Concentrating Solar-Driven Photothermal CO2 Reduction

Solar-to-chemical energy conversion under weak solar irradiation is generally difficult to meet the heat demand of CO₂ reduction. Herein, a new concentrated solar-driven photothermal system coupling a dual-metal single-atom catalyst (DSAC) with adjacent Ni−N₄ and Fe−N₄ pair sites is designed for boosting gas-solid CO₂ reduction with H₂O under simulated solar irradiation, even under ambient sunlight. As expected, the (Ni, Fe)−N−C DSAC exhibits a superior photothermal catalytic performance for CO₂ reduction to CO (86.16 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹), CH₄ (135.35 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹) and CH₃OH (59.81 μmol g⁻¹ h⁻¹), which are equivalent to 1.70-fold, 1.27-fold and 1.23-fold higher than those of the Fe−N−C catalyst, respectively. Based on theoretical simulations, the Fermi level and d-band center of Fe atom is efficiently regulated in non-interacting Ni and Fe dual-atom pair sites with electronic interaction through electron orbital hybridization on (Ni, Fe)−N−C DSAC. Crucially, the distance between adjacent Ni and Fe atoms of the Ni−N−N−Fe configuration means that the additional Ni atom as a new active site contributes to the main *COOH and *HCO₃ dissociation to optimize the corresponding energy barriers in the reaction process, leading to specific dual reaction pathways (COOH and HCO₃ pathways) for solar-driven photothermal CO₂ reduction to initial CO production.     

超薄氮掺杂碳纳米片负载单原子镍用于高效电催化还原二氧化碳

将二氧化碳转化为高附加值的燃料和化学品是缓解当前能源危机和控制温室气体排放的有效策略之一,但此法受限于缺乏高活性与高选择性的电催化剂。因此,我们通过热解含镍金属有机框架结构(MOF)和二氰二胺制得负载高含量镍单原子(7.77% (w))的超薄氮掺杂二维碳纳米片用于电催化还原CO₂生成CO。研究发现高温热解能将MOF中Ni²⁺转化为Ni⁺-N-C和Ni²⁺-N-C结构,且Ni⁺-N-C含量依赖于热解温度——其含量随热解温度增加呈现火山型变化。800 ℃下,Ni²⁺到Ni⁺-N-C的转化和石墨化的C生成达到最优水平。Ni⁺-N-C结构有适宜的*CO中间体结合能,能有效地抑制析氢反应的同时还能促进CO生成。因此,800 ℃热处理制得的材料(Ni-N-C-800)催化CO₂生成CO效率最高。调节电解液浓度,能进一步优化电催化性能。当电解液(碳酸氢钾)浓度为0.5 mol·L^-1时,Ni-N-C-800的CO生成选择性在较宽电压窗口内(-0.77到-1.07 V vs. RHE)都高于90%,且具有优良的稳定性。这些结果表明,选择合适的前躯体通过调控热解温度以及氮掺杂可以有效提高镍基MOF衍生催化剂的二氧化碳电催化性能。     

甲醇与一氧化碳合成甲酸甲酯反应机理的理论研究

用密度泛函理论(DFT)研究了甲醇与一氧化碳的微观反应机理. 在B3LYP/6-311＋＋G(d,p)水平上优化了反应物、过渡态及产物的几何构型, 并通过振动分析和内禀反应坐标方法(IRC)分别确认了过渡态的结构与反应途径. 在CCSD/6-311＋＋G(d,p)水平上进行能量校正, 并根据计算的势能面探讨了CH₃OH＋CO反应机理. 结果表明, CH₃OH＋CO反应体系有三个可能的反应通道, 产物分别为甲酸甲酯、乙酸、羟基乙醛. 在无催化条件下, 计算得到生成甲酸甲酯、乙酸和羟基乙醛的反应活化能分别是364.715, 460.775和611.402 kJ•mol^－1, 生成甲酸甲酯和羟基乙醛的反应为吸热反应, 而生成乙酸的反应为放热反应.     

Efficient Electrocatalytic Reduction of CO2 by Nitrogen‐Doped Nanoporous Carbon/Carbon Nanotube Membranes: A Step Towards the Electrochemical CO2 Refinery

Herein we introduce a straightforward, low cost, scalable, and technologically relevant method to manufacture an all‐carbon, electroactive, nitrogen‐doped nanoporous‐carbon/carbon‐nanotube composite membrane, dubbed “HNCM/CNT”. The membrane is demonstrated to function as a binder‐free, high‐performance gas diffusion electrode for the electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ to formate. The Faradaic efficiency (FE) for the production of formate is 81 %. Furthermore, the robust structural and electrochemical properties of the membrane endow it with excellent long‐term stability.