Coupling Atomic Confinement With CO 2 Pressure for Selective and Stable CO 2 Electroreduction

ABSTRACT Electrochemical reduction of CO 2 (CO 2 RR) offers a promising route to convert waste carbon into valuable chemical feedstocks while mitigating greenhouse emissions. However, achieving high activity and selectivity in CO 2 RR remains challenging due to the low solubility of CO 2 in aqueous electrolytes and competing hydrogen evolution reactions (HER) that limit efficiency under practical conditions. Here, we address these limitations by coupling high‐pressure operation with atomic‐scale catalyst design. A tin oxide (SnO x ) nanoparticle catalyst featuring sub‐nanometer interplanar gaps (< 1 nm) was synthesized via an electrochemical cation implantation (ECI) process to create confined reaction environments. The resulting ECI(S)–SnO x achieved a Faradaic efficiency for CO (FE CO ) of 69.2% and a current density of –11.2 mA cm −2 at –3.0 V under 7.4 MPa. Additionally, the CO 2 RR reaction maintained stable performance for 40 h. The synergy between atomic‐scale confinement and CO 2 pressurization enhances CO 2 availability, suppresses HER, and promotes CO formation through a *COOH‐mediated pathway. This work establishes a general strategy for tuning CO 2 electroreduction pathways by integrating nanoscale structural confinement with controlled reaction environments.

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Publication Details

Journal
Carbon Energy
Published
2026-09-22
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/cey2.70335
Primary Topic
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
Type
article
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article

Coupling Atomic Confinement With CO 2 Pressure for Selective and Stable CO 2 Electroreduction

Wooyul Kim, Yurim Sohn, Jong Ho Won, Mun Kyoung Kim et al.
Carbon Energy
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
article

Coupling Atomic Confinement With CO 2 Pressure for Selective and Stable CO 2 Electroreduction

Wooyul Kim, Yurim Sohn, Jong Ho Won, Mun Kyoung Kim, Hyung Mo Jeong, Sheraz Ahmed, Chirong Sun, Hyung‐Suk Oh, Wooyul Kim, Byunggon Song
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Electrochemical reduction of CO 2 (CO 2 RR) offers a promising route to convert waste carbon into valuable chemical feedstocks while mitigating greenhouse emissions. However, achieving high activity and selectivity in CO 2 RR remains challenging due to the low solubility of CO 2 in aqueous electrolytes and competing hydrogen evolution reactions (HER) that limit efficiency under practical conditions. Here, we address these limitations by coupling high‐pressure operation with atomic‐scale catalyst design. A tin oxide (SnO x ) nanoparticle catalyst featuring sub‐nanometer interplanar gaps (< 1 nm) was synthesized via an electrochemical cation implantation (ECI) process to create confined reaction environments. The resulting ECI(S)–SnO x achieved a Faradaic efficiency for CO (FE CO ) of 69.2% and a current density of –11.2 mA cm −2 at –3.0 V under 7.4 MPa. Additionally, the CO 2 RR reaction maintained stable performance for 40 h. The synergy between atomic‐scale confinement and CO 2 pressurization enhances CO 2 availability, suppresses HER, and promotes CO formation through a *COOH‐mediated pathway. This work establishes a general strategy for tuning CO 2 electroreduction pathways by integrating nanoscale structural confinement with controlled reaction environments.

Carbon Energy
Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KR), Sungkyunkwan University (KR), Dankook University (KR)
Openalex Percentile: Top 29%
CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts
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