The electrochemical reduction of CO2 to high-value-added
fuels such as methanol is an effective avenue to alleviate the greenhouse
effect and global climate change. However, reasonable design and screening
of highly efficient electrocatalysts remain challenging. So, a promising
cobalt(II) 2,9,16,23-tetra(amino)phthalocyanine (CoTAPc) hybrid electrocatalyst
was prepared with carbon nanotubes (CNT) as the support based on the
ball milling method. And its surface morphology and structure were
characterized by the methods such as scanning electron microscopy,
Brunauer–Emmett–Teller, energy-dispersive spectroscopy,
Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, UV–vis absorption
spectra, Raman spectra, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, as well
as the performance of CO2 reduction reactions (CO2RR) was evaluated based on those methods, such as cyclic voltammetry,
linear sweep voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy,
gas chromatograph, 1H nuclear magnetic resonance, and headspace
gas chromatography. Then, the structure–activity relationship
on the hybrid catalyst and the influence mechanisms of CNT, ball milling,
and amino group on CO2RR were elucidated by combining with
the density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The addition of
CNT improved the dispersion and induced the structural bending deformation
of CoTAPc to form more active sites for CO2 reduction toward
methanol, accompanied by the increase of the Faradaic efficiency and
current density by nearly 76 and 200%, respectively. The shear action
of ball milling shortened the length of the CNT and enhanced the interaction
between CoTAPc and the CNT so that the electron-transfer resistance
during the CO2RR decreased, achieving nearly 150% increase
of the partial current density of methanol. The amino group on CoTAPc
affected the pathway of the CO2RR to methanol by modifying
the charge distribution of the Co–N4 structure to
alter the binding energy of the intermediate. According to the results
of DFT calculations, the pathway of CO2RR to methanol on
the hybrid catalyst was proposed to be CO2(g) →
*CO2 → *CO2
– →
*COOH →*CO → *CHO → *CH2O →
*CH2OH → *CH3OH → CH3OH(l). This work will provide a significant reference for the preparation
of high-performance electrocatalysts to achieve efficient CO2 reduction to those high-value-added products such as methanol.