Selective Ion Transport Regulation Enables High Current Density CO <sub>2</sub> ‐to‐C <sub>2+</sub> Conversion in Acid
Electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO<sub>2</sub>RR) under acidic condition offers great promise to achieve carbon-efficient CO<sub>2</sub> electrolysis. However, acidic CO<sub>2</sub>RR has been hindered by the severe competing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and sluggish carbon-carbon coupling efficiency. Herein, an ion-transport regulation strategy has been developed to customize the microenvironment near cathode surface during high current density electrolysis in acidic electrolyte. A hybrid adlayer composed of (010) planes-enclosed ZrO<sub>2</sub> nanosheets and Nafion preferentially allows K<sup>+</sup> transport toward cathode through proton trapping and Donnan effect, thus simultaneously enriching K<sup>+</sup> and raising pH near cathode surface during CO<sub>2</sub>RR. Such K<sup>+</sup>-rich and alkaline microenvironment suppresses HER and favors C<sub>2+</sub> products formation. Particularly, a remarkable C<sub>2+</sub> Faraday efficiency (FE) of nearly 81% has been achieved with a partial current density of 484 mA cm<sup>-2</sup> for C<sub>2+</sub> products on modified Cu electrode. This work demonstrates an effective strategy to boost the CO<sub>2</sub>RR performance in acidic electrolyzers for efficient and sustainable CO<sub>2</sub> conversion.
Authors
- Yanyang Qin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0006-7848-895X)
- Yaqiong Su (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5581-5352)
- Hao Bin Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0725-6442)
- Xiangzhou Lv
- Yunhao Zhong (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8564-4056)
- Angjian Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5303-5563)
- Qian Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7217-5083)
- Zhenjie Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8863-8196)
- Yue Yang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8354-4112)
Institutions
- Shenzhen Polytechnic University (CN)
- State Key Laboratory of Clean Energy Utilization
- Zhejiang University (CN)
- Xi'an Jiaotong University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Angewandte Chemie International Edition
- Published
- 2025-11-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202516139
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.73