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Updated: Aug 29, 2025

Synthesis and Performance Characterizations of Transition Metal Single Atom Catalyst for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction
Published on: April 10, 2018
Heteroatoms Induce Localization of the Electric Field and Promote a Wide Potential-Window Selectivity Towards CO in
Chao Cai1, Bao Liu1, Kang Liu1
1Hunan joint international research center for carbon dioxide resource Utilization, State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy, School of Physics and Electronics, Central South University, Changsha, 410083, P. R. China.
Abstract:
Carbon dioxide electroreduction (CO2 RR) is a sustainable way of producing carbon-neutral fuels. Product selectivity in CO2 RR is regulated by the adsorption energy of reaction-intermediates. Here, we employ differential phase contrast-scanning transmission electron microscopy (DPC-STEM) to demonstrate that Sn heteroatoms on a Ag catalyst generate very strong and atomically localized electric fields. In situ attenuated total reflection infrared spectroscopy (ATR-IR) results verified that the localized electric field enhances the adsorption of *COOH, thus favoring the production of CO during CO2 RR. The Ag/Sn catalyst exhibits an approximately 100 % CO selectivity at a very wide range of potentials (from -0.5 to -1.1 V, versus reversible hydrogen electrode), and with a remarkably high energy efficiency (EE) of 76.1 %.
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