In situ dual doping for constructing efficient CO2-to-methanol electrocatalysts

Abstract

Methanol is a highly desirable product of CO2 electroreduction due to its wide array of industrial applications. However, the development of CO2-to-methanol electrocatalysts with high performance is still challenging. Here we report an operationally simple in situ dual doping strategy to construct efficient CO2-to-methanol electrocatalysts. In particular, when using Ag,S-Cu2O/Cu as electrocatalyst, the methanol Faradaic efficiency (FE) could reach 67.4% with a current density as high as 122.7 mA cm−2 in an H-type cell using 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborate/H2O as the electrolyte, while the current density was below 50 mA cm−2 when the FE was greater than 50% over the reported catalysts. Experimental and theoretical studies suggest that the anion S can effectively adjust the electronic structure and morphology of the catalysts in favor of the methanol pathway, whereas the cation Ag suppresses the hydrogen evolution reaction. Their synergistic interactions with host material enhance the selectivity and current density for methanol formation. This work opens a way for designing efficient catalysts for CO2 electroreduction to methanol.

A crystal growth kinetics guided Cu aerogel for highly efficient CO2electrolysis to C2+alcohols

“…Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) further confirmed that the Cu species were composed of Cu 0 and Cu + (Figure S6b) on the surface. 34 The peak located at 570 eV (Cu + ) was attributed to surface oxidation of metallic Cu in air after taking out from the 1M KOH electrolyte. The N 1s and B 1s spectra in Figure S7 suggested that the aerogels were free from N and B elements.…”

“…S6b†) on the surface. 34 The peak located at 570 eV (Cu + ) was attributed to the surface oxidation of metallic Cu in air after taking it out from the 1 M KOH electrolyte. The N 1s and B 1s spectra in Fig.…”

Highly Selective and Durable CO Production via Effective Morphology and Surface Engineering of ZnO Electrocatalysts

“…Based on morphological effects, the ZnO Nanorods showed the highest activity and selectivity on electrochemical CO 2 RR ascribed to high O-deficient surface conditions in the high surface area, activating *CO adsorption. , Furthermore, the proper Ag doping synergistically enhanced CO selectivity in which the *CO adsorption rate increased on Ag sites, which helped inhibit HER. Ag doping could enable *CO adsorption under the circumstance of the local electronic structure of ZnO Nanorods . Also, Ag sites can provide favorable mass transportation due to a low R CT at the interfacial region between the surface and electrolyte.…”

“…Ag doping could enable *CO adsorption under the circumstance of the local electronic structure of ZnO Nanorods. 50 Also, Ag sites can provide favorable mass transportation due to a low R CT at the interfacial region between the surface and electrolyte. Even at a high applied current density, Ag sites helped maintain stable ZnO properties during stability testing, revealing that a small amount (1 atom %) of Ag dopant contributed to the stability for up to 10 h. After stability, the morphological and chemical states and crystalline properties were closely investigated and are explained in Figure S12.…”

Recent advances in high-crystalline conjugated organic polymeric materials for photocatalytic CO2conversion

“…2,3 Therefore, how to effectively reduce the CO 2 content while developing a sustainable carbonneutral economy is a valuable approach. In this case, directly converting CO 2 into high-value-added hydrocarbon fuels or chemicals (e.g., CO, CH 4 , CH 3 OH, HCOOH, HCHO, C 2 H 5 OH, and C 2 H 4 ) has proven to be an effective way, where many technologies can be employed including organic catalysis, 4 electrocatalysis, 5,6 photocatalysis, 7,8 biocatalysis, 9 thermocatalysis, 10 and photoenzymatic catalysis. 11 Among these, artificial photosynthesis to achieve photocatalytic CO 2 reduction is an extremely promising route due to its advantages of clean, ecofriendly, green and mild conditions, etc.…”