Bioinspired molecule-functionalized Cu with high CO adsorption for efficient CO electroreduction to acetate.

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis
• Sustainable Energy

Background:

• Electrochemical reduction of CO2 or CO to C2+ products is key for sustainable energy.
• Achieving high activity and selectivity for acetate production, especially in neutral electrolytes, remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a bioinspired catalyst for efficient electroreduction of CO to acetate.
• To enhance surface CO coverage and C-C coupling for improved acetate selectivity and production.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a bioinspired hemin/Cu hybrid catalyst.
• Electrochemical testing including faradaic efficiency and partial current density measurements.
• In situ Raman spectroscopy and theoretical calculations to elucidate the catalytic mechanism.

Main Results:

• The hemin/Cu catalyst achieved 45.2% faradaic efficiency and 152.3 mA cm-2 partial current density for CO-to-acetate electroreduction.
• Stable operation at 200 mA cm-2 for 14.6 hours, producing concentrated acetate solutions.
• Demonstrated universality of the bioinspired molecule-enhanced strategy using cobalt phthalocyanine.

Conclusions:

• The Fe-N4 structure in hemin enhances CO adsorption and local CO concentration, promoting C-C coupling for acetate production.
• The developed hybrid catalyst offers a promising pathway for designing efficient bioinspired electrolysis systems.
• This strategy provides a new route for selective C2+ product synthesis from CO electroreduction.