Selective CO₂ Electroreduction from Tuneable Naphthalene-Based Porous Polyimide Networks

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Catalysis
• Electrochemistry

Background:

• Porous polyimides (pPIs) are advanced materials with tunable structures.
• Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture and conversion are critical for environmental sustainability.
• Electrocatalysis offers a promising route for CO2 valorization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and optimize porous polyimides using the Bristol-X'an-Jiatong (BXJ) approach.
• To investigate the CO2 capture capabilities of these optimized materials.
• To explore the use of these porous organic frameworks as metal-free electrocatalysts for CO2 conversion.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of porous polyimides (pPIs).
• Optimization of surface area and pore size using the BXJ approach.
• Electrocatalytic testing for CO2 reduction to formate and methanol.

Main Results:

• Optimized pPIs demonstrated tunable porous network properties for CO2 capture.
• The pPIs were successfully employed as electrocatalysts for CO2 conversion.
• High Faradaic efficiencies were achieved: 91% for CO2 to formate and 85% for CO2 to methanol.

Conclusions:

• The BXJ approach effectively tunes porous materials for CO2 capture and electrocatalysis.
• Porous organic frameworks show significant potential as metal-free catalysts for CO2 reduction.
• This work opens avenues for sustainable fuel and feedstock generation from CO2.