Boosting the Productivity of Electrochemical CO2Reduction to Multi‐Carbon Products by Enhancing CO2Diffusion through a Porous Organic Cage

Abstract

AbstractElectroreduction of CO2into valuable fuels and feedstocks offers a promising way for CO2utilization. However, the commercialization is limited by the low productivity. Here, we report a strategy to enhance the productivity of CO2electroreduction by improving diffusion of CO2to the surface of catalysts using porous organic cages (POCs) as an additive. It was noted that the Faradaic efficiency (FE) of C2+ products could reach 76.1 % with a current density of 1.7 A cm−2when Cu‐nanorod(nr)/CC3 (one of the POCs) was used, which were much higher than that using Cu‐nr. Detailed studies demonstrated that the hydrophobic pores of CC3 can adsorb a large amount of CO2for the reaction, and the diffusion of CO2in the CC3 to the nanocatalyst surface is easier than that in the liquid electrolyte. Thus, more CO2molecules make contact with the nanocatalysts in the presence of CC3, enhancing CO2reduction and inhibiting generation of H2.