Pyrolyzed Triazine-Based Nanoporous Frameworks Enable Electrochemical CO₂ Reduction in Water

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) is crucial for sustainable energy and chemical production.
• Developing efficient and selective electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To rationally synthesize triazine-based nanoporous frameworks as electrocatalysts for CO2RR.
• To investigate the performance of these frameworks in selectively converting CO2 to CO.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of triazine-based nanoporous frameworks using pyridine-based backbones as sacrificial groups.
• In situ generation of pyridinic N-doped sites during ZnCl2-promoted polymerization.
• Electrochemical evaluation of CO2 reduction in aqueous media.

Main Results:

• The optimized framework demonstrated selective reduction of CO2 to CO with a high Faradaic efficiency of approximately 82%.
• The catalyst operated effectively under a moderate overpotential of 560 mV.
• The pyridinic nitrogen-containing sites were identified as key active centers for CO2RR.

Conclusions:

• This study presents the first rational synthesis of triazine-based nanoporous frameworks for CO2RR electrocatalysis.
• The developed material shows significant potential for efficient and selective electrochemical conversion of CO2.
• The findings open new avenues for designing porous organic polymers for CO2 utilization.