Electronic modulation at an Ag/La(OH)3 crystalline–amorphous heterostructure enables high-efficiency CO2-to-CO conversion

Abstract

The strategic design of heterostructured interfaces is a powerful avenue for optimizing electrocatalytic performance, yet leveraging crystalline–amorphous interactions for the CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR) remains underexplored. Herein, an Ag/La(OH)₃ crystalline–amorphous heterostructure was constructed by a facile synthesis. This unique configuration induces strong electronic coupling, optimizing intermediate adsorption. The optimized catalyst achieves exceptional CO selectivity with a 97.6% faradaic efficiency at −0.78 V vs. RHE. Furthermore, it enables a Zn–CO₂ battery with a 16.71 mW cm⁻² peak power density.