Dual-Scale Integration Design of Sn-ZnO Catalyst toward Efficient and Stable CO<sub>2</sub> Electroreduction.

Ren, Bohua; Zhang, Zhen; Wen, Guobin; Zhang, Xiaowen; Xu, Mi; Weng, Yueying; Nie, Yihang; Dou, Haozhen et al. · Adv Mater · 2022

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

Electrochemical CO<sub>2</sub> reduction to CO is a potential sustainable strategy for alleviating CO<sub>2</sub> emission and producing valuable fuels. In the quest to resolve its current problems of low-energy efficiency and insufficient durability, a dual-scale design strategy is proposed by implanting a non-noble active Sn-ZnO heterointerface inside the nanopores of high-surface-area carbon nanospheres (Sn-ZnO@HC). The metal d-bandwidth tuning of Sn and ZnO alters the extent of substrate-molecule orbital mixing, facilitating the breaking of the *COOH intermediate and the yield of CO. Furthermore, the confinement effect of tailored nanopores results in a beneficial pH distribution in the local environment around the Sn-ZnO nanoparticles and protects them against leaching and aggregating. Through integrating electronic and nanopore-scale control, Sn-ZnO@HC achieves a quite low potential of -0.53 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE) with 91% Faradaic efficiency for CO and an ultralong stability of 240 h. This work provides proof of concept for the multiscale design of electrocatalysts.