Tailoring the interfacial microenvironment by electrolyte engineering boosts bicarbonate electrolysis

Abstract

AbstractBicarbonate electrolysis, as a carbon utilization technology with high efficiency and potential for industrial applications, provides a promising pathway for CO2 emission reduction. However, how to inhibit serious hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) and increase the relatively low CO2 concentration at the electrode‐electrolyte interfacial is challenging. Here, we introduce three typical aminopolycarboxylic acids (APCAs) with different amounts of carboxylic acid roots into 3 M KHCO3 to enhance the Faradaic efficiency of CO (FECO) from 51.2% to 68.0% at 100 mA cm−2. Spectroscopic characterization confirms that the role of APCAs in confining the activity of water dissociation and improving the availability of CO2. The strategy adopted in this work that introducing APCAs into the electrolyte to balance the content of CO2 and H2O for improving the electrocatalytic performance, can serve as a reference for other electrocatalytic systems.