Selective Electrochemical CO₂-to-Syngas Conversion Enabled by Electronic-Structure-Modulated Copper-Zinc Alloy...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Efficient electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) to syngas is crucial for sustainable, low-carbon energy.
• Developing cost-effective and selective catalysts remains a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate efficient CuZn alloy nanosheets for selective electrochemical CO2-to-syngas conversion.
• To investigate the electronic structure modulation and alloy effects for enhanced catalytic activity.

Main Methods:

• Facile electrodeposition strategy for CuZn alloy nanosheet fabrication.
• Electrochemical CO2 reduction experiments in a CO2-saturated KHCO3 system.
• In situ spectroscopy and theoretical calculations for mechanistic studies.

Main Results:

• Successfully synthesized CuZn alloy nanosheets with a CuZn5 phase, exhibiting electronic synergy via Zn-to-Cu electron transfer.
• Achieved near 100% Faraday efficiency for CO2-to-syngas conversion with tunable CO/H2 ratios (1.1-4.3) over a wide potential range (-0.65 to -1.25 V).
• Demonstrated excellent stability and provided comprehensive mechanistic insights, highlighting the C=O bond cleavage as the rate-determining step.

Conclusions:

• Engineered Cu0.07Zn alloy catalyst shows outstanding performance for electrochemical CO2-to-syngas conversion.
• The study elucidates the structure-activity relationship and reaction mechanism, paving the way for advanced catalyst design.
• This work presents a promising strategy for sustainable syngas production from CO2.