Tuning the Metal Electronic Structure of Anchored Cobalt Phthalocyanine via Dual‐Regulator for Efficient CO2 Electroreduction and Zn–CO2 Batteries

• Published in: Advanced functional materials 2022-04, Vol.32 (17), p.n/a
• Main Authors: Gong, Shanhe, Wang, Wenbo, Zhang, Chaonan, Zhu, Minghui, Lu, Runqing, Ye, Jinjin, Yang, Huan, Wu, Chundu, Liu, Jun, Rao, Dewei, Shao, Shouyan, Lv, Xiaomeng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Activated carbon; Carbon; carbon defects; Carbon dioxide; carbon monoxide; Catalysts; Chemical reduction; Current density; Defects; Electrocatalysts; electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction; Electron density; Electronic structure; heterogeneous molecular catalysts; Iron; Materials science; Molecular structure; Nitrogen; Rechargeable batteries; Tuning; Zinc; Zn–CO 2 battery
• ISSN: 1616-301X; 1616-3028
• DOI: 10.1002/adfm.202110649

Heterogeneous macromolecule catalysts have been known as efficient electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction reaction, however, manipulating the activity of heterogeneous molecules via controllable metal electronic structure is still challenging. Herein, different CO2 activated 3D, robust, nitrogen‐doped hollow carbon spheres are synthesized to anchor cobalt phthalocyanine as molecularly dispersed electrocatalysts, where the electron‐withdrawing coeffect of carbon defects and heteroatom N is responsible for tuning the electronic structure of metal center. The optimal electrocatalyst reveals high CO faradaic efficiency (FECO) of 95.68%, turnover frequency of 13.80 s−1, and current density of 16.49 mA cm−2 at an overpotential of 760 mV. The control experiment and DFT calculations unveil that the significant activity is mainly ascribed to the optimal electron‐withdrawing coeffect of carbon defects and pyrrolic N, which reduce the electron density of Co center to facilitate CO2 activated to form *COOH intermediate on Co(I) active sites during electrocatalysis. The 2p‐charge loss of Co is summarized as an activity descriptor, which steers the current density and production rate toward CO. Furthermore, the design strategy can universally fabricate the hybrid MPc catalyst with transitional metal (Ni, Fe) site while a rechargeable Zn–CO2 battery is devised to deliver a maximal power density of 1.02 mW cm−2. 3D, robust nitrogen‐doped hollow carbon spheres with high‐density carbon defects are synthesized to anchor cobalt phthalocyanine as molecularly dispersed heterocatalysts for enhanced electrochemical CO2 reduction performance, where the electronic structure of central cobalt is modulated by the electron‐withdrawing coeffect of controllable defects and heteroatom, endowing a rechargeable Zn–CO2 battery with a maximal power density of 1.02 mW cm−2.