Spin‐Polarized Interfaces Redirect CO 2 Reduction From CO to Formate

ABSTRACT Achieving high product selectivity in electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction (CO 2 RR) remains a critical challenge due to competition between multiple proton‐coupled electron‐transfer pathways on catalyst surfaces. Meanwhile, chirality‐induced spin selectivity (CISS), which enables spin‐polarized electron transport through chiral interfaces, has recently emerged as a promising strategy to modulate interfacial electrochemical reactions. Although the CISS effect has been shown to enhance selectivity and efficiency in the spin‐sensitive oxygen evolution reaction (OER), its role in regulating CO 2 RR pathways and in stabilizing intermediates remains largely unexplored. Here, chiral molecules (R‐ and S‐1,1′‐bi‐2‐naphthyl‐2,2′‐diyl hydrogen phosphate, BNP) were integrated with SnO 2 to construct chiral‐modified catalysts (R‐BNP/SnO 2 and S‐BNP/SnO 2 ). Compared with bare SnO 2 and racemic BNP‐modified SnO 2 (Rac‐BNP/SnO 2 ), the chiral catalysts exhibited a pronounced shift in product selectivity from CO toward formate production. Importantly, in‐situ attenuated total reflectance surface‐enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (ATR‐SEIRAS) reveals that the chiral interface selectively stabilizes the O‐bound *OCHO intermediate associated with the formate pathway and modulates interfacial water structure and hydrogen‐bonding dynamics. These findings demonstrate that spin‐polarized interfacial electron transfer can regulate CO 2 RR pathway selectivity by modulating the stabilization of key intermediates. More broadly, this work establishes chiral spin‐selective interfaces as a new strategy for regulating competitive electrocatalytic reaction pathways.

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Publication Details

Journal
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Published
2026-08-20
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.1729522
Primary Topic
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Spin‐Polarized Interfaces Redirect CO 2 Reduction From CO to Formate

Xingxu Yan, Jing Hua Gu, Yong Sheng Yan, Fan He et al.
Angewandte Chemie International Edition
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
article

Spin‐Polarized Interfaces Redirect CO 2 Reduction From CO to Formate

Xingxu Yan, Jing Hua Gu, Yong Sheng Yan, Fan He, Xiaoqing Pan
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Achieving high product selectivity in electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction (CO 2 RR) remains a critical challenge due to competition between multiple proton‐coupled electron‐transfer pathways on catalyst surfaces. Meanwhile, chirality‐induced spin selectivity (CISS), which enables spin‐polarized electron transport through chiral interfaces, has recently emerged as a promising strategy to modulate interfacial electrochemical reactions. Although the CISS effect has been shown to enhance selectivity and efficiency in the spin‐sensitive oxygen evolution reaction (OER), its role in regulating CO 2 RR pathways and in stabilizing intermediates remains largely unexplored. Here, chiral molecules (R‐ and S‐1,1′‐bi‐2‐naphthyl‐2,2′‐diyl hydrogen phosphate, BNP) were integrated with SnO 2 to construct chiral‐modified catalysts (R‐BNP/SnO 2 and S‐BNP/SnO 2 ). Compared with bare SnO 2 and racemic BNP‐modified SnO 2 (Rac‐BNP/SnO 2 ), the chiral catalysts exhibited a pronounced shift in product selectivity from CO toward formate production. Importantly, in‐situ attenuated total reflectance surface‐enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy (ATR‐SEIRAS) reveals that the chiral interface selectively stabilizes the O‐bound *OCHO intermediate associated with the formate pathway and modulates interfacial water structure and hydrogen‐bonding dynamics. These findings demonstrate that spin‐polarized interfacial electron transfer can regulate CO 2 RR pathway selectivity by modulating the stabilization of key intermediates. More broadly, this work establishes chiral spin‐selective interfaces as a new strategy for regulating competitive electrocatalytic reaction pathways.

Angewandte Chemie International Edition
University of California, Irvine (US), San Diego State University (US), Irvine University (US)
National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, UC Irvine Materials Research Institute, University of California, Irvine, Division of Materials Research, Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering
Openalex Percentile: Top 27%
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
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