Triggering specific adsorption of alkali cations at electrode–electrolyte interfaces for acidic <scp>CO<sub>2</sub></scp> electroreduction

Abstract Alkali cations impose a conducive effect for acidic electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction reaction (eCO 2 RR) to high‐value chemicals. However, the intrinsic configuration of active cations at complex electrode–electrolyte interfaces remains elusive, limiting the deployment of the cation effect. Herein, we identify the crucial effect of specific adsorption of K + at electrode–electrolyte interfaces on improving acidic eCO 2 RR. The specifically adsorbed K + occurs at electrode–electrolyte interfaces after implanting sulfonic acid groups on the system of carbon nanotubes and nickel phthalocyanine (NiPc/CNT−SO 3 H). Importantly, specifically adsorbed K + on NiPc/CNT−SO 3 H generates a 2.3‐fold enhancement of acidic eCO 2 RR and enables attaining high CO Faraday efficiency of &gt;90% at −450 mA cm −2 in acid, surpassing most reported catalysts. Specifically adsorbed K + residing in the inner Helmholtz plane can promote *CO 2 to *COOH and disrupt the hydrogen‐bonding network connectivity, thus facilitating the eCO 2 RR process. This work identifies the novel feature of alkaline cations and provides an effective platform to improve electrocatalysis.

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Publication Details

Journal
AIChE Journal
Published
2025-05-27
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/aic.18915
Citations
7
Primary Topic
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
2.54

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article

Triggering specific adsorption of alkali cations at electrode–electrolyte interfaces for acidic CO2 electroreduction

Limiao Chen, You‐Nian Liu, Yifan Jiang, Maoyu Wang et al.
7 citations
AIChE Journal
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
2.54
article

Triggering specific adsorption of alkali cations at electrode–electrolyte interfaces for acidic CO2 electroreduction

Limiao Chen, You‐Nian Liu, Yifan Jiang, Maoyu Wang, Shanyong Chen, Jingyu Wang, Can Zhang, Hua Zhou, Yuhan Yan, Jiaqi Xiang
article en
7 citations

Abstract

Abstract Alkali cations impose a conducive effect for acidic electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction reaction (eCO 2 RR) to high‐value chemicals. However, the intrinsic configuration of active cations at complex electrode–electrolyte interfaces remains elusive, limiting the deployment of the cation effect. Herein, we identify the crucial effect of specific adsorption of K + at electrode–electrolyte interfaces on improving acidic eCO 2 RR. The specifically adsorbed K + occurs at electrode–electrolyte interfaces after implanting sulfonic acid groups on the system of carbon nanotubes and nickel phthalocyanine (NiPc/CNT−SO 3 H). Importantly, specifically adsorbed K + on NiPc/CNT−SO 3 H generates a 2.3‐fold enhancement of acidic eCO 2 RR and enables attaining high CO Faraday efficiency of &gt;90% at −450 mA cm −2 in acid, surpassing most reported catalysts. Specifically adsorbed K + residing in the inner Helmholtz plane can promote *CO 2 to *COOH and disrupt the hydrogen‐bonding network connectivity, thus facilitating the eCO 2 RR process. This work identifies the novel feature of alkaline cations and provides an effective platform to improve electrocatalysis.

AIChE JournalVol. 71(9)
Argonne National Laboratory (US), Central South University (CN), Jinan University (CN), Hunan University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Science and Technology Program of Hunan Province, Fundamental Research Funds for Central Universities of the Central South University, Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province
Openalex Percentile: Top 10%
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
2.54
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