Precise regulation of phosphorus in nitrogen-coordinated porous carbon spheres for tunable CO2 electroreduction to syngas

Qi Xu; Wentao Wang; Yangyang Zhang; Huanhuan Liu; Xiaowen Wang; Suyuan Zeng; Genqiang Zhang

iScience (Apr 2024)

Precise regulation of phosphorus in nitrogen-coordinated porous carbon spheres for tunable CO2 electroreduction to syngas

Qi Xu,
Wentao Wang,
Yangyang Zhang,
Huanhuan Liu,
Xiaowen Wang,
Suyuan Zeng,
Genqiang Zhang

Affiliations

Qi Xu: Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
Wentao Wang: Guizhou Provincial Key Laboratory of Computational Nano-Material Science, Guizhou Education University, Guiyang 550018, China
Yangyang Zhang: Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
Huanhuan Liu: Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
Xiaowen Wang: Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China
Suyuan Zeng: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Liaocheng University, Liaocheng 252059, China; Corresponding author
Genqiang Zhang: Hefei National Research Center for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, CAS Key Laboratory of Materials for Energy Conversion, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei 230026, China; Corresponding author

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 27, no. 4
p. 109470

Abstract

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Summary: The production of high-demand syngas with tunable ratios by CO2 electroreduction has attracted considerable research interest. However, it is challenging to balance the evolution performance of H2 and CO with wide H2/CO ratios, while maintaining high efficiency. Herein, nitrogen-coordinated hierarchical porous carbon spheres with varying phosphorus content (PxNC-T) are assembled to regulate syngas production performance. The precise introduction of P modulates the local charge distribution of nitrogen-coordinated carbons, thereby accelerating the protonation process of ∗CO2-to-∗COOH and promoting moderate H∗ adsorption. Specifically, syngas with wide H2/CO ratios (0.60–4.98) is obtained over a low potential range (−0.46 to −0.86 V vs. RHE). As a representative, P1.0NC-900 presents a remarkable current density (−152 mA cm−2) at −1.0 V vs. RHE in flow cells and delivers a decent peak power density (1.93 mW cm−2) in reversible Zn-CO2 batteries. Our work provides valuable insights into the rational design of carbon-based catalysts for CO2 reduction.

Published in iScience

ISSN: 2589-0042 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: United States
LCC subjects: Science
Website: http://www.cell.com/iscience/home

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