Accelerating CO 2 Electroreduction to CO Over Pd Single‐Atom Catalyst

Year: 2020

Type: article

Abstract: The electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into value‐added chemicals is regarded as one of the promising routes to mitigate CO 2 emission. A nitrogen‐doped carbon‐supported palladium (Pd) single‐atom catalyst that can catalyze CO 2 into CO with far higher mass activity than its Pd nanoparticle counterpart, for example, 373.0 and 28.5 mA mg −1 Pd , respectively, at −0.8 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode, is reported. A combination of in situ X‐ray characterization and density functional theory (DFT) calculation reveals that the PdN 4 site is the most likely active center for CO production without the formation of palladium hydride (PdH), which is essential for typical Pd nanoparticle catalysts. Furthermore, the well‐dispersed PdN 4 single‐atom site facilitates the stabilization of the adsorbed CO 2 intermediate, thereby enhancing electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction capability at low overpotentials. This work provides important insights into the structure‐activity relationship for single‐atom based electrocatalysts.

Source: Advanced Functional Materials

DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202000407

Authors: Qun He, Ji Hoon Lee, Daobin Liu, Yumeng Liu, Zhexi Lin, Zhenhua Xie, Sooyeon Hwang, Shyam Kattel, Li Song, Jingguang G. Chen

Institutions: University of Science and Technology of China, National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Columbia University, Nanyang Technological University, Brookhaven National Laboratory, Center for Functional Nanomaterials, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University

Language: English

Topic: CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts

Subfield: Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment

Field: Energy

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDGs: Affordable and clean energy, Climate action

Open Access status: bronze

Funders: National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, China Scholarship Council, Office of Science, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Division of Chemistry, Basic Energy Sciences, Brookhaven National Laboratory

OpenAlex ID: W3010214862