Nanoreactor Confined and Enriched Intermediates for Electroreduction of CO2 to C2+ Products

Abstract

AbstractIn the process of electroreduction of carbon dioxide (eCO2RR) to multi‐carbon (C2+) products, it is imperative to enhance the concentration of key intermediate species on the catalyst surface. The utilization of micro‐nano reactors to achieve confinement effects has been widely observed in various catalytic reactions, yet it has seldom been employed in eCO2RR. Here, we present a novel nanoreactor composed of stacked CuS nanosheets for eCO2RR to C2+ products. In comparison to catalyst comprising of nanosheet with open space, the C−C coupling within this confined nanospace is significantly enhanced, resulting in the increase of Faraday efficiency (FE) of C2+ products to 53 %. In situ infrared (IR) spectroscopy reveals the confinement and enrichment of key intermediate by the nanoreactor. Our research findings demonstrate that a meticulously designed nanoreactor can elevate the selectivity of C2+ products, thereby aiding in the design of eCO2RR catalysts.