Semi‐Ionic C‐F Bonds Modulate Hydrogen Dynamics for Selective CO <sub>2</sub> ‐to‐CH <sub>4</sub> Electroreduction on Carbon Quantum Dots

ABSTRACT Electrochemical CO 2 reduction to CH 4 represents an attractive route for carbon recycling and energy storage, but remains limited by sluggish hydrogenation kinetics and ineffective management of reactive hydrogen species. Herein, we develop a molecular fusion strategy to synthesize fluorine‐rich carbon quantum dots (F1‐CQDs) featuring an unprecedented F content of up to 28.8 at. % in optimized F1‐CQDs. The catalyst delivers a CH 4 Faraday efficiency of 63.2% together with a CH 4 partial current density of 210.8 mA cm −2 in a flow cell. Combined in situ spectroscopy and theoretical calculations reveal that semi‐ionic C‐F bonds create abundant Lewis basic sites that selectively stabilize key CO 2 ‐reduction intermediates, while also regulating hydrogen dynamics by facilitating water activation and transient active hydrogen (*H) formation on neighboring carbon sites. This synergistic dual‐site functionality enhances the effective *H availability for stepwise hydrogenation without excessively favoring the competing hydrogen evolution reaction, as clarified by isotope labeling and *H‐scavenging experiments. This work establishes a clear structure‐activity relationship between C‐F bonding and catalytic performance, and provides a general design principle for metal‐free electrocatalysts through the coupled engineering of intermediate stabilization and hydrogen kinetics.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Published
2026-05-29
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.3749916
Primary Topic
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Semi‐Ionic C‐F Bonds Modulate Hydrogen Dynamics for Selective CO 2 ‐to‐CH 4 Electroreduction on Carbon Quantum Dots

K Wang, Minghong Wu, Shuai Fu, Haolan Tao et al.
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
article

Semi‐Ionic C‐F Bonds Modulate Hydrogen Dynamics for Selective CO 2 ‐to‐CH 4 Electroreduction on Carbon Quantum Dots

K Wang, Minghong Wu, Shuai Fu, Haolan Tao, Mingwan Zhang, Liang Wang, Cheng Lian, Wenhui Liu, Huazhang Guo, Kai Huang, Xiaozhi Su
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Electrochemical CO 2 reduction to CH 4 represents an attractive route for carbon recycling and energy storage, but remains limited by sluggish hydrogenation kinetics and ineffective management of reactive hydrogen species. Herein, we develop a molecular fusion strategy to synthesize fluorine‐rich carbon quantum dots (F1‐CQDs) featuring an unprecedented F content of up to 28.8 at. % in optimized F1‐CQDs. The catalyst delivers a CH 4 Faraday efficiency of 63.2% together with a CH 4 partial current density of 210.8 mA cm −2 in a flow cell. Combined in situ spectroscopy and theoretical calculations reveal that semi‐ionic C‐F bonds create abundant Lewis basic sites that selectively stabilize key CO 2 ‐reduction intermediates, while also regulating hydrogen dynamics by facilitating water activation and transient active hydrogen (*H) formation on neighboring carbon sites. This synergistic dual‐site functionality enhances the effective *H availability for stepwise hydrogenation without excessively favoring the competing hydrogen evolution reaction, as clarified by isotope labeling and *H‐scavenging experiments. This work establishes a clear structure‐activity relationship between C‐F bonding and catalytic performance, and provides a general design principle for metal‐free electrocatalysts through the coupled engineering of intermediate stabilization and hydrogen kinetics.

Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Shanghai University (CN), East China University of Science and Technology (CN), Shanghai Advanced Research Institute (CN), Shanghai Institute of Applied Physics (CN), State Key Laboratory of Chemical Engineering (CN), Fuzhou University (CN), Taizhou University (CN)
National Natural Science Foundation of China
Openalex Percentile: Top 17%
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.