Spin Polarized Chiral Co 3 O 4 Boosts High‐Pressure CO 2 Electroreduction to Ethanol With 90% Selectivity
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT Electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction (CO 2 RR) to value‐added multicarbon products using non‐copper‐based catalysts remains a major challenge, especially for selective ethanol production. Herein, we report that chiral Co 3 O 4 featuring strong electron spin polarization achieves a maximum ethanol Faradaic efficiency of 90% at ‐0.9 V versus NHE in KHCO 3 electrolytes under a 30 bar CO 2 pressure, substantially outperforming both racemic Co 3 O 4 and previously reported non‐copper‐based catalysts. The enhanced spin polarization in chiral Co 3 O 4 facilitates electron transfer and promotes the activation of the adsorbed CO 2 , while also lowering the free energy change for C–C coupling to form *COCHO intermediate, thereby promoting ethanol production. Our work establishes spin polarization as a key determinant for efficient C–C coupling on non‐copper‐based catalysts and provides mechanistic principles for the rational design of CO 2 RR electrocatalyst.
DOI: 10.1002/anie.1640517
Institutions: Tianjin University, City University of Hong Kong, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, Institute of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Nanyang Technological University, University of Science and Technology of China, National Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, Beijing Normal University, State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution
Language: English
Field: Energy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W7224891445