Affiliation:
1. School of Chemical Engineering and Light Industry Guangdong University of Technology Guangzhou Guangdong 510006 P. R. China
2. Guangdong Provincial Laboratory of Chemistry and Fine Chemical Engineering Jieyang Center Jieyang 515200 P. R. China
Abstract
AbstractLead (Pb) poisoning and CO2‐induced global warming represent two exemplary environmental and energy issues threatening humanity. Various biomass‐derived materials are reported to take up Pb and convert CO2 electrochemically into low‐valent carbon species, but these works address the problems separately rather than settle the issues simultaneously. In this work, cheap, natural ellagic acid (EA) extracted from common plants is adopted to assemble a stable metal–organic framework (MOF), EA‐Pb, by effective capture of Pb2+ ions in an aqueous medium (removal rate close to 99%). EA‐Pb represents the first structurally well‐defined Pb‐based MOF showing selective electrocatalytic CO2‐to‐HCOO− conversion with Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 95.37% at −1.08 V versus RHE. The catalytic mechanism is studied by 13CO2 labeling, in situ diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS), and theoretical calculation. The use of EA‐Pb as an electrocatalyst for CO2 reduction represents a 2‐in‐1 solution of converting detrimental wastes (Pb2+) as well as natural resources (EA) into wealth (electrocatalytic EA‐Pb) for addressing the global warming issue.
Funder
Guangzhou Municipal Science and Technology Project
Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province
Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation of Guangdong Province
National Natural Science Foundation of China