Potential-driven structural distortion in cobalt phthalocyanine for electrocatalytic CO₂/CO reduction towards...

Cobalt phthalocyanine immobilized on carbon nanotube has demonstrated appreciable selectivity and activity for methanol synthesis in electrocatalytic CO₂/CO reduction. However, discrepancies in methanol production selectivity and activity between CO₂ and CO reduction have been observed, leading to inconclusive mechanisms for methanol production in this system. Here, we discover that the interaction between cobalt phthalocyanine molecules and defects on carbon nanotube substrate plays a key role in methanol production during CO₂/CO electroreduction. Through detailed operando X-ray absorption and infrared spectroscopies, we find that upon application of cathodic potential, this interaction induces the transformation of the planar CoN₄ center in cobalt phthalocyanine to an out-of-plane distorted configuration. Consequently, this potential induced structural change promotes the transformation of linearly bonded *CO at the CoN₄ center to bridge *CO, thereby facilitating methanol production. Overall, these comprehensive mechanistic investigations and the outstanding performance (methanol partial current density over 150 mA cm^-2) provide valuable insights in guiding the activity and selectivity of immobilized cobalt phthalocyanine for methanol production in CO₂/CO reduction.