Efficient electron transmission in covalent organic framework nanosheets for highly active electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 11; no. 1; p. 497
• Main Authors: Zhu, Hong-Jing, Lu, Meng, Wang, Yi-Rong, Yao, Su-Juan, Zhang, Mi, Kan, Yu-He, Liu, Jiang, Chen, Yifa, Li, Shun-Li, Lan, Ya-Qian
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 24.01.2020; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 639/638/161; 639/638/77/886; 639/638/911; Carbon dioxide; Chemical reduction; Clean energy; Covalence; Density functional theory; Electrocatalysts; Electrons; Energy research; Exfoliation; Humanities and Social Sciences; multidisciplinary; Nanosheets; Porous materials; Science; Science (multidisciplinary)
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-14237-4

Efficient conversion of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) into value-added products is essential for clean energy research. Design of stable, selective, and powerful electrocatalysts for CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) is highly desirable yet largely unmet. In this work, a series of metalloporphyrin-tetrathiafulvalene based covalent organic frameworks (M-TTCOFs) are designed. Tetrathiafulvalene, serving as electron donator or carrier, can construct an oriented electron transmission pathway with metalloporphyrin. Thus-obtained M-TTCOFs can serve as electrocatalysts with high FE CO (91.3%, −0.7 V) and possess high cycling stability (>40 h). In addition, after exfoliation, the FE CO value of Co-TTCOF nanosheets (~5 nm) is higher than 90% in a wide potential range from −0.6 to −0.9 V and the maximum FE CO can reach up to almost 100% (99.7%, −0.8 V). The electrocatalytic CO 2 RR mechanisms are discussed and revealed by density functional theory calculations. This work paves a new way in exploring porous crystalline materials in electrocatalytic CO 2 RR. The study of covalent organic frameworks (COFs) in electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) has drawn much attention. Here the authors show a series of tetrathiafulvalene based COFs designed and exfoliated into nanosheets which exhibit high electrocatalytic CO 2 RR performance.