Low‐Coordination Indium Single‐Atom Sites Anchored on a Metal‐Organic Framework Single‐Layer Boosts Electroreduction of CO <sub>2</sub> Into Formic Acid

The electroreduction of CO<sub>2</sub> under acidic conditions presents both scientific significance and technical challenges. Herein, we developed a post-synthetic modification strategy to anchor unexpected tetrahedral In(III) ions onto Zr-oxo clusters of a single-layer zirconium metal-organic framework (denoted as Zr-MOF-In). Operating under harsh acidic conditions (pH = 1.67) at -1.8 V versus RHE, the Zr-MOF-In catalyst demonstrates exceptional performance with 95.7% Faradaic efficiency for formic acid production and a current density of 213.3 mA cm<sup>-2</sup>. The system maintains operational stability over 20 h without notable activity decay. Remarkably, when integrated into a membrane electrode assembly electrolyzer with solid-state electrolyte at 4 V full-cell voltage, Zr-MOF-In continuously generates pure formic acid solution (505.5 mmol L<sup>-1</sup>, 100% purity) free of electrolyte contamination, achieving a concentration 1.5-fold higher than the current state-of-the-art. Mechanistic investigations identify dual enhancement mechanisms: i) the low-coordinated In(III) single-atom sites facilitate dual *HCOO intermediate binding, enhancing reaction kinetics beyond conventional single-intermediate adsorption on high-coordination metal centers; and ii) the single-layer MOF configuration optimizes active site exposure, synergistically maximizing catalytic efficiency.

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Publication Details

Journal
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Published
2025-06-30
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202511132
Citations
18
Primary Topic
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
6.54

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article

Low‐Coordination Indium Single‐Atom Sites Anchored on a Metal‐Organic Framework Single‐Layer Boosts Electroreduction of CO 2 Into Formic Acid

Pei‐Qin Liao, Jia‐Run Huang, Haolin Zhu, Zhenhua Zhao et al.
18 citations
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
6.54
article

Low‐Coordination Indium Single‐Atom Sites Anchored on a Metal‐Organic Framework Single‐Layer Boosts Electroreduction of CO 2 Into Formic Acid

Pei‐Qin Liao, Jia‐Run Huang, Haolin Zhu, Zhenhua Zhao, Junyi Li, Xiao‐Ming Chen
article en
18 citations

Abstract

The electroreduction of CO<sub>2</sub> under acidic conditions presents both scientific significance and technical challenges. Herein, we developed a post-synthetic modification strategy to anchor unexpected tetrahedral In(III) ions onto Zr-oxo clusters of a single-layer zirconium metal-organic framework (denoted as Zr-MOF-In). Operating under harsh acidic conditions (pH = 1.67) at -1.8 V versus RHE, the Zr-MOF-In catalyst demonstrates exceptional performance with 95.7% Faradaic efficiency for formic acid production and a current density of 213.3 mA cm<sup>-2</sup>. The system maintains operational stability over 20 h without notable activity decay. Remarkably, when integrated into a membrane electrode assembly electrolyzer with solid-state electrolyte at 4 V full-cell voltage, Zr-MOF-In continuously generates pure formic acid solution (505.5 mmol L<sup>-1</sup>, 100% purity) free of electrolyte contamination, achieving a concentration 1.5-fold higher than the current state-of-the-art. Mechanistic investigations identify dual enhancement mechanisms: i) the low-coordinated In(III) single-atom sites facilitate dual *HCOO intermediate binding, enhancing reaction kinetics beyond conventional single-intermediate adsorption on high-coordination metal centers; and ii) the single-layer MOF configuration optimizes active site exposure, synergistically maximizing catalytic efficiency.

Angewandte Chemie International EditionVol. 64(36)
Sun Yat-sen University (CN), Ji Hua Laboratory (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, Sun Yat-sen University, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
Openalex Percentile: Top 3%
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
6.54
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