Achieving High Single-Pass Carbon Conversion Efficiencies in Durable CO2 Electroreduction in Strong Acids via Electrode Structure Engineering.

Abstract

Acidic CO2 reduction (CO2 R) holds promise for the synthesis of low-carbon-footprint chemicals using renewable electricity. However, the corrosion of catalysts in strong acids causes severe hydrogen evolution and rapid deterioration of CO2 R performance. Here, by coating catalysts with an electrically nonconductive nanoporous SiC-NafionTM layer, a near-neutral pH was stabilized on catalyst surfaces, thereby protecting the catalysts against corrosion for durable CO2 R in strong acids. Electrode microstructures played a critical role in regulating ion diffusion and stabilizing electrohydrodynamic flows near catalyst surfaces. This surface-coating strategy was applied to three catalysts, SnBi, Ag, and Cu, and they exhibited high activity over extended CO2 R operation in strong acids. Using a stratified SiC-NafionTM /SnBi/polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) electrode, constant production of formic acid was achieved with a single-pass carbon efficiency of >75 % and Faradaic efficiency of >90 % at 100 mA cm-2 over 125 h at pH 1.