Issue 34, 2019

Mn-doped atomic SnO2 layers for highly efficient CO2 electrochemical reduction

Abstract

An efficient catalyst is the key to the application of the electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). Herein, we report a facile in situ gas induced growth strategy to synthesize Mn-doped SnO2 (TMO) with a thickness of 3–4 atomic layers for highly efficient CO2 electroreduction. Compared with commercial SnO2, TMO (with 11.86 wt% Mn) exhibits enhanced performance with a higher current density (∼21.2 mA cm−2), higher faradaic efficiency (∼85%) and lower overpotential (240 mV) for formic acid formation. The total faradaic efficiency for CO2 conversion reaches ∼91.6%. X-ray fine structure and density functional theory studies reveal that the ultrathin nanostructure not only features a shrunken energy gap for electron transfer but also exposes more surface active sites. Meanwhile, Mn doping modulates the electronic configuration of SnO2 and generates a large amount of oxygen vacancies. The designed ultrathin structure and Mn doping remarkably decreased the energy barrier of electron transportation on the TMO surface during the CO2RR.

Graphical abstract: Mn-doped atomic SnO2 layers for highly efficient CO2 electrochemical reduction

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
25 јун. 2019
Accepted
22 јул. 2019
First published
25 јул. 2019

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2019,7, 19651-19656

Mn-doped atomic SnO2 layers for highly efficient CO2 electrochemical reduction

Y. Wei, J. Liu, F. Cheng and J. Chen, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2019, 7, 19651 DOI: 10.1039/C9TA06817A

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