Recent progress of M-N-C single atom electrocatalysts for carbon dioxide reduction reaction
Akhmat Fauzi,
Xiaoyi Chen,
Haogang Zhao,
Sen Cao,
Lingjie Kong,
Shouying Huang,
Sheng Zhang,
Xinbin Ma
Affiliations
Akhmat Fauzi
Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
Xiaoyi Chen
Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Corresponding author.
Haogang Zhao
Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
Sen Cao
Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
Lingjie Kong
Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
Shouying Huang
Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
Sheng Zhang
Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China; Haihe Laboratory of Sustainable Chemical Transformations, Tianjin 300192, China; Corresponding author at: Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
Xinbin Ma
Key Laboratory for Green Chemical Technology of Ministry of Education, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China
M-N-C is a class of single-atom catalysts that consist of isolated metal atoms dispersed on heteroatoms doped carbon, showing remarkable efficiency, stability and selectivity for reducing carbon dioxide to various products. In the early studies, M-N-C catalysts mainly produced CO from CO2 reduction, and only a few types of metals, such as Fe and Ni, were explored well as active sites. However, in recent years, with the advancement of synthesis and coordination environment tuning, M-N-C catalysts have demonstrated a wide range of product selectivity, including C1 products such as methane, formic acid, methanol, and even C2 products such as ethylene and ethanol with Cu-N-C catalysts applied. This review focuses on the function of atoms in the structure of M-N-C catalysts and their recent developments. We analyze how the metal atoms, coordination environments, and supporting carbon materials affect M-N-C catalysts' activity and selectivity for CO2 reduction. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overview and helpful guidance for further research and application of M-N-C catalysts in CO2 reduction.
