Efficient CO2 electroreduction to CO at low overpotentials using a surface-reconstructed and N-coordinated Zn electrocatalyst

Abstract

In this work, an effective vapor ammonization-electroreduction strategy is developed to fabricate a surface-reconstructed and N-coordinated Zn electrocatalyst (Zn–N), which exhibits high electrocatalytic activity and stability for CO₂ reduction to CO with a faradaic efficiency (FE) of 85.6% and a CO partial current density of 11.2 mA cm⁻² at −0.91 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), greatly outperforming Zn foil and surface-reconstructed Zn (Zn–H). Moreover, Zn–N also maintains good selectivity for CO production during the long-term CO₂ electrolysis.