Issue 17, 2019

Achieving highly efficient CO2 to CO electroreduction exceeding 300 mA cm−2 with single-atom nickel electrocatalysts

Abstract

The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) to value-added products is a promising approach to reduce excess CO2 in the atmosphere. However, the selective reduction of CO2 in aqueous electrolytes has been challenging owing to a competing hydrogen evolution reaction occurring in aqueous electrolytes. In this study, single atom nickel and nitrogen doped three-dimensional porous carbon catalysts are developed for the selective production of carbon monoxide (CO) from CO2. The catalysts exhibit high CO selectivity with over 99% faradaic efficiency at −0.8 V vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), and achieve a high current density of over 50 mA cm−2 at −1.0 V vs. RHE in a bicarbonate electrolyte. To further improve the CO2 reduction rate, the accessibility of CO2 to the catalysts was enhanced by directly supplying gaseous CO2 to the surface of the catalysts. The catalysts were deposited between a gas diffusion layer and an ion exchange membrane to form a membrane electrode assembly (MEA). Benefiting from the high concentration of CO2 over the catalyst surfaces and the three-dimensional structure of the catalysts, a high CO production rate exceeding 300 mA cm−2 with 99% faradaic efficiency can be achieved.

Graphical abstract: Achieving highly efficient CO2 to CO electroreduction exceeding 300 mA cm−2 with single-atom nickel electrocatalysts

Associated articles

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
05 Mas 2019
Accepted
29 Mas 2019
First published
01 Eph 2019

J. Mater. Chem. A, 2019,7, 10651-10661

Achieving highly efficient CO2 to CO electroreduction exceeding 300 mA cm−2 with single-atom nickel electrocatalysts

H. Jeong, M. Balamurugan, V. S. K. Choutipalli, E. Jeong, V. Subramanian, U. Sim and K. T. Nam, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2019, 7, 10651 DOI: 10.1039/C9TA02405K

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements