The effect of carbon supports on the electrocatalytic performance of Ni-N-C catalysts for CO2 reduction to CO

Shilong Fu, Boaz Izelaar, Ming Li, Qi An, Min Li, Wiebren de Jong, Ruud Kortlever*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

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Abstract

Carbon-supported nickel and nitrogen co-doped (Ni-N-C) catalysts have been extensively studied as selective and active catalysts for CO2 electroreduction to CO. Most studies have focused on adjusting the coordination structure of Ni-Nx active sites, while the impact of the carbon supports has often been overlooked. In this study, a series of Ni-N-C catalysts on different carbon supports, including carbon black (CB), multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNT), and activated nitrogen-doped biochar (ANBC), were synthesized using a ligand-mediated method. The effect of the carbon support on the electrocatalytic performance for CO2 reduction was investigated at both low current densities, in a H-cell, and high current densities, in a MEA electrolyzer. All of the prepared Ni-N-C catalysts show good faradaic efficiencies (FE) toward CO production (up to ∼90 %), however, the onset potentials and partial current densities for CO production vary greatly. The textural properties of the carbon support and the distribution of Ni-Nx active sites on the carbon support are demonstrated as the main factors behind the performance differences. In particular, hierarchical porous structures with a large specific surface area are helpful to facilitate mass transport and improve the dispersion of active sites, which allows for a better CO2 reduction performance of Ni-N-ANBC compared to Ni-N-CB and Ni-N-CNT. This study demonstrates the importance of the carbon support for Ni-N-C catalysts and provides new insights into the design of efficient Ni-N-C catalysts for the CO2RR.
Original languageEnglish
Article number110461
Number of pages12
JournalNano Energy
Volume133
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2025

Keywords

  • Carbon-based catalysts
  • Electrocatalysis
  • Electrochemical CO2 reduction
  • Nickel-nitrogen-carbon catalysts
  • Structure-performance correlations

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