S‐Vacancy‐Induced “Proton Fence Effect” Enables Selectivity Switching between CH <sub>4</sub> and CO in Photo‐Assisted CO <sub>2</sub> Electroreduction

Abstract Upcycling CO 2 into high‐value C 1 products is impressive for achieving carbon neutrality and energy sustainability, while rational modulation of C 1 product selectivity is one of the biggest challenges in electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction reaction (eCO 2 RR) due to the competing reaction pathways and thermodynamic limitation. Here, we showcase a “proton fence” strategy enabled by in situ adsorbed *OH on sulfur vacancies (S V ) to ultraselectively switch the C 1 product between CH 4 and CO during CO 2 RR, with Faraday efficiency of 93.6% and 95.3%, respectively. In situ measurements uncover that the photo‐generated holes counteract Cu 2+ electroreduction to retain the intact structure of CuInS 2 /CuS, while *OH dissociated from water can spontaneously anchor toward S V to hinder the local proton migration, completely circumventing multiproton products. Meanwhile, the preferential desorption of *CO from Cu centers adjacent to the *OH‐anchored S V renders the exclusive formation of CO. In the absence of S V , *CO can be further hydrogenated in a lower free energy/even spontaneously to afford CH 4 . The proposed proton confinement effect furnishes a promising reference for the selectivity control of eCO 2 RR, and the photo‐assisted electroreductive protocol demonstrates a paradigm of in situ stabilization of electron‐intolerant catalytic structures.

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Publication Details

Journal
Angewandte Chemie
Published
2025-04-21
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/ange.202506608
Citations
3
Primary Topic
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
1.09
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article

S‐Vacancy‐Induced “Proton Fence Effect” Enables Selectivity Switching between CH 4 and CO in Photo‐Assisted CO 2 Electroreduction

Shengqi Liu, Dingsheng S. Wang, Song Yang, Hu Li et al.
3 citations
Angewandte Chemie
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
1.09
article

S‐Vacancy‐Induced “Proton Fence Effect” Enables Selectivity Switching between CH 4 and CO in Photo‐Assisted CO 2 Electroreduction

Shengqi Liu, Dingsheng S. Wang, Song Yang, Hu Li, Zhanhu Guo, Zhengyi Li
article en
3 citations

Abstract

Abstract Upcycling CO 2 into high‐value C 1 products is impressive for achieving carbon neutrality and energy sustainability, while rational modulation of C 1 product selectivity is one of the biggest challenges in electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction reaction (eCO 2 RR) due to the competing reaction pathways and thermodynamic limitation. Here, we showcase a “proton fence” strategy enabled by in situ adsorbed *OH on sulfur vacancies (S V ) to ultraselectively switch the C 1 product between CH 4 and CO during CO 2 RR, with Faraday efficiency of 93.6% and 95.3%, respectively. In situ measurements uncover that the photo‐generated holes counteract Cu 2+ electroreduction to retain the intact structure of CuInS 2 /CuS, while *OH dissociated from water can spontaneously anchor toward S V to hinder the local proton migration, completely circumventing multiproton products. Meanwhile, the preferential desorption of *CO from Cu centers adjacent to the *OH‐anchored S V renders the exclusive formation of CO. In the absence of S V , *CO can be further hydrogenated in a lower free energy/even spontaneously to afford CH 4 . The proposed proton confinement effect furnishes a promising reference for the selectivity control of eCO 2 RR, and the photo‐assisted electroreductive protocol demonstrates a paradigm of in situ stabilization of electron‐intolerant catalytic structures.

Angewandte ChemieVol. 137(26)
Guizhou University (CN), Tsinghua University (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 24%
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
1.09
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S‐Vacancy‐Induced “Proton Fence Effect” Enables Selectivity Switching between CH <sub>4</sub> and CO in Photo‐Assisted CO <sub>2</sub> Electroreduction — Shengqi Liu, Dingsheng S. Wang, et al. · Angewandte Chemie (2025) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS