Carbon dioxide electroreduction on single-atom nickel decorated carbon membranes with industry compatible current densities

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 11; no. 1; p. 593
• Main Authors: Yang, Hengpan, Lin, Qing, Zhang, Chao, Yu, Xinyao, Cheng, Zhong, Li, Guodong, Hu, Qi, Ren, Xiangzhong, Zhang, Qianling, Liu, Jianhong, He, Chuanxin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 30-01-2020; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 147/135; 147/143; 639/301/299; 639/638/161/886; 639/638/224; Carbon dioxide; Carbon monoxide; Catalysts; Current density; Decoration; Diffusion; Diffusion electrodes; Diffusion layers; Electrodes; Electrowinning; Gaseous diffusion; Humanities and Social Sciences; Mechanical properties; Membranes; multidisciplinary; Nanofibers; Nickel; Science; Science (multidisciplinary)
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-14402-0

Carbon dioxide electroreduction provides a useful source of carbon monoxide, but comparatively few catalysts could be sustained at current densities of industry level. Herein, we construct a high-yield, flexible and self-supported single-atom nickel-decorated porous carbon membrane catalyst. This membrane possesses interconnected nanofibers and hierarchical pores, affording abundant effective nickel single atoms that participate in carbon dioxide reduction. Moreover, the excellent mechanical strength and well-distributed nickel atoms of this membrane combines gas-diffusion and catalyst layers into one architecture. This integrated membrane could be directly used as a gas diffusion electrode to establish an extremely stable three-phase interface for high-performance carbon dioxide electroreduction, producing carbon monoxide with a 308.4 mA cm
−2
partial current density and 88% Faradaic efficiency for up to 120 h. We hope this work will provide guidance for the design and application of carbon dioxide electro-catalysts at the potential industrial scale.
Here the authors deploy Ni single atom-decorated carbon membranes as integrated gas diffusion electrodes to construct an extremely stable three-phase interface for CO
2
electroreduction, producing CO with a partial current density of 308.4 mA cm
–2
and a Faradaic efficiency of 88% for up to 120 h.