Tunable CO/H2 ratios of electrochemical reduction of CO2 through the Zn-Ln dual atomic catalysts

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 (CO2RR) to value-added liquid fuels is a highly appealing solution for carbon-neutral recycling, especially to syngas (CO/H-2). Current strategies suffer from poor faradaic efficiency (FE), selectivity, and controllability to the ratio of products. In this work, we have synthesized a series of single and dual atomic catalysts on the carbon nitride nanosheets. Adjusting the ratio of La and Zn atomic sites produces syngas with a wide range of CO/H-2 ratios. Moreover, the ZnLa-1/CN electrocatalyst generates the syngas with a ratio of CO/H-2 = 0.5 at a wide potential range, and the total FE of CO2RR reaches 80% with good stability. Density functional theory calculations have confirmed that the Zn and La affect electronic structures and determine the formation of CO and H-2, respectively. This work indicates a promising strategy in the development of atomic catalysts for more controllable CO2RR.

Automated summary

The study successfully synthesized a series of single and dual atomic catalysts, adjusting the CO/H-2 ratio in the produced syngas. The ZnLa-1/CN catalyst showed good stability and a high faradaic efficiency of up to 80% in producing syngas. Theoretical calculations confirmed the roles of Zn and La in determining CO and H-2 formation, providing a promising strategy for the development of more controllable CO2RR atomic catalysts.