Simultaneous High Current Density and Selective Electrocatalytic CO<sub>2</sub>‐to‐CH<sub>4</sub> through Intermediate Balancing
The electrochemical reduction of CO<sub>2</sub> to CH<sub>4</sub> is promising for carbon neutrality and renewable energy storage but confronts low CH<sub>4</sub> selectivity, especially at high current densities. The key challenge lies in promoting *CO intermediate and *H coupling while minimizing side reactions including C-C coupling and H-H coupling, which is particularly difficult at high current density due to abundant intermediates. Here we report a cooperative strategy to address this challenge using Cu-based catalysts comprising Cu-N coordination polymer and CuO component that can simultaneously manage the key intermediates *CO and *H. A fast CO<sub>2</sub>-to-CH<sub>4</sub> conversion rate of 3.14 mmol cm<sup>-2</sup> h<sup>-1</sup> is achieved at 1,300 mA cm<sup>-2</sup> with a Faradaic efficiency of 51.7 %. In situ spectroscopy and theoretical calculations show that the increased Cu-Cu distance in the Cu-N coordination polymer component favors multistep *CO hydrogenation over the dimerization, and the CuO component ensures an adequate supply of *H, together contributing to the selective CO<sub>2</sub>-to-CH<sub>4</sub> conversion at high current densities. This work develops a cooperative strategy for the electrosynthesis of CH<sub>4</sub> with simultaneous high current density and high selectivity by rational catalyst design, paving the way for its applications.
Authors
- Shanlin Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6555-689X)
- Xin Kang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6924-1406)
- Yuting Luo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4502-8659)
- Bilu Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7274-5752)
- Shuqi Hu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9827-1439)
- Zhiyuan Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0124-9791)
- Heming Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6873-4735)
- Jiarong Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4603-4340)
- Yumo Chen
Institutions
- University of Toronto (CA)
- Tsinghua–Berkeley Shenzhen Institute (CN)
- Tsinghua University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Angewandte Chemie International Edition
- Published
- 2024-12-26
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202423915
- Citations
- 14
- Primary Topic
- CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.43
Funders
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- Department of Education of Guangdong Province
- Shenzhen Fundamental Research Program
- National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars
- Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province
- Division of Materials Research
- Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School