CO<sub>2</sub> electrochemical catalytic reduction with a highly active cobalt phthalocyanine.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 31399585.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41467-019-11542-w and PMC identifier 6689005.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Molecular catalysts that combine high product selectivity and high current density for CO<sub>2</sub> electrochemical reduction to CO or other chemical feedstocks are urgently needed. While earth-abundant metal-based molecular electrocatalysts with high selectivity for CO<sub>2</sub> to CO conversion are known, they are characterized by current densities that are significantly lower than those obtained with solid-state metal materials. Here, we report that a cobalt phthalocyanine bearing a trimethyl ammonium group appended to the phthalocyanine macrocycle is capable of reducing CO<sub>2</sub> to CO in water with high activity over a broad pH range from 4 to 14. In a flow cell configuration operating in basic conditions, CO production occurs with excellent selectivity (ca. 95%), and good stability with a maximum partial current density of 165 mA cm<sup>-2</sup> (at -0.92 V vs. RHE), matching the most active noble metal-based nanocatalysts. These results represent state-of-the-art performance for electrolytic carbon dioxide reduction by a molecular catalyst.