The built-in electric field across FeN/Fe3N interface for efficient electrochemical reduction of CO2 to CO

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 14; no. 1; p. 1724
• Main Authors: Yin, Jie, Jin, Jing, Yin, Zhouyang, Zhu, Liu, Du, Xin, Peng, Yong, Xi, Pinxian, Yan, Chun-Hua, Sun, Shouheng
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 28.03.2023; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 119/118; 140/133; 140/146; 147/137; 639/301/299/886; 639/638/161; 639/638/77/886; Adsorption; Annealing; Carbon; Carbon dioxide; Carbon monoxide; Catalysis; Catalysts; Chemical reduction; Chemistry; Coordination; Efficiency; Electric fields; Electrochemistry; Electrolysis; Electron transfer; Humanities and Social Sciences; Hydrogenation; Interfaces; Iron; Laboratories; Metal nitrides; Microscopy; multidisciplinary; Nanoparticles; Science; Science (multidisciplinary)
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-37360-9

Nanostructured metal-nitrides have attracted tremendous interest as a new generation of catalysts for electroreduction of CO 2 , but these structures have limited activity and stability in the reduction condition. Herein, we report a method of fabricating FeN/Fe 3 N nanoparticles with FeN/Fe 3 N interface exposed on the NP surface for efficient electrochemical CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR). The FeN/Fe 3 N interface is populated with Fe−N 4 and Fe−N 2 coordination sites respectively that show the desired catalysis synergy to enhance the reduction of CO 2 to CO. The CO Faraday efficiency reaches 98% at −0.4 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode, and the FE stays stable from −0.4 to −0.9 V during the 100 h electrolysis time period. This FeN/Fe 3 N synergy arises from electron transfer from Fe 3 N to FeN and the preferred CO 2 adsorption and reduction to *COOH on FeN. Our study demonstrates a reliable interface control strategy to improve catalytic efficiency of the Fe–N structure for CO 2 RR. Understanding and controlling chemical environment of metal-N-catalysts is of great importance. In this work, the authors reveal FeN/Fe 3 N interface with Fe-N 4 and Fe-N 2 coordination sites for enhanced electrochemical CO 2 reduction to CO.