Rational Design of Metal-Free Nitrogen-Doped Carbon for Controllable Reduction of CO<sub>2</sub> to Syngas

The electrocatalytic reduction of CO<sub>2</sub> (ECO<sub>2</sub>RR) to syngas with tunable CO/H<sub>2</sub> ratios offers a promising route for sustainable energy conversion and chemical production. Here, we report a series of N-doped carbon black (NCBx) catalyst...

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Main Authors: Guangbin An, Kang Wang, Min Yang, Jiye Zhang, Haijian Zhong, Liang Wang, Huazhang Guo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-02-01
Series:Molecules
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/4/953
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author Guangbin An
Kang Wang
Min Yang
Jiye Zhang
Haijian Zhong
Liang Wang
Huazhang Guo
author_facet Guangbin An
Kang Wang
Min Yang
Jiye Zhang
Haijian Zhong
Liang Wang
Huazhang Guo
author_sort Guangbin An
collection DOAJ
description The electrocatalytic reduction of CO<sub>2</sub> (ECO<sub>2</sub>RR) to syngas with tunable CO/H<sub>2</sub> ratios offers a promising route for sustainable energy conversion and chemical production. Here, we report a series of N-doped carbon black (NCBx) catalysts with tailored nitrogen species that enable precise control over the composition of syngas. Among the catalysts, NCB3 exhibits the optimal performance, achieving high CO selectivity (64.14%) and activity (1.9 mA cm<sup>−2</sup>) in an H-type cell at −0.9 V. Furthermore, NCB3 produces syngas with a wide range of CO/H<sub>2</sub> ratios (0.52 to 4.77) across the applied potentials (−0.5 to −1.0 V). Stability tests confirm the robust durability of NCB3, which maintains consistent activity and selectivity over prolonged electrolysis. This work demonstrates the critical role of nitrogen species in tuning ECO<sub>2</sub>RR pathways and establishes a strategy for designing efficient and stable carbon-based catalysts for CO<sub>2</sub> utilization and syngas production.
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institution OA Journals
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language English
publishDate 2025-02-01
publisher MDPI AG
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series Molecules
spelling doaj-art-934f3a74ba2d4a0cb9aae3968c395c532025-08-20T02:03:41ZengMDPI AGMolecules1420-30492025-02-0130495310.3390/molecules30040953Rational Design of Metal-Free Nitrogen-Doped Carbon for Controllable Reduction of CO<sub>2</sub> to SyngasGuangbin An0Kang Wang1Min Yang2Jiye Zhang3Haijian Zhong4Liang Wang5Huazhang Guo6Institute of Nanochemistry and Nanobiology, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, 99 Shangda Road, Shanghai 200444, ChinaInstitute of Nanochemistry and Nanobiology, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, 99 Shangda Road, Shanghai 200444, ChinaSchool of Information Engineering, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou 341000, ChinaSchool of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, 99 Shangda Road, Shanghai 200444, ChinaSchool of Information Engineering, Gannan Medical University, Ganzhou 341000, ChinaInstitute of Nanochemistry and Nanobiology, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, 99 Shangda Road, Shanghai 200444, ChinaInstitute of Nanochemistry and Nanobiology, School of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, Shanghai University, 99 Shangda Road, Shanghai 200444, ChinaThe electrocatalytic reduction of CO<sub>2</sub> (ECO<sub>2</sub>RR) to syngas with tunable CO/H<sub>2</sub> ratios offers a promising route for sustainable energy conversion and chemical production. Here, we report a series of N-doped carbon black (NCBx) catalysts with tailored nitrogen species that enable precise control over the composition of syngas. Among the catalysts, NCB3 exhibits the optimal performance, achieving high CO selectivity (64.14%) and activity (1.9 mA cm<sup>−2</sup>) in an H-type cell at −0.9 V. Furthermore, NCB3 produces syngas with a wide range of CO/H<sub>2</sub> ratios (0.52 to 4.77) across the applied potentials (−0.5 to −1.0 V). Stability tests confirm the robust durability of NCB3, which maintains consistent activity and selectivity over prolonged electrolysis. This work demonstrates the critical role of nitrogen species in tuning ECO<sub>2</sub>RR pathways and establishes a strategy for designing efficient and stable carbon-based catalysts for CO<sub>2</sub> utilization and syngas production.https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/4/953nitrogen-doped carboncarbon-based catalystelectrocatalyticCO/H<sub>2</sub> syngas
spellingShingle Guangbin An
Kang Wang
Min Yang
Jiye Zhang
Haijian Zhong
Liang Wang
Huazhang Guo
Rational Design of Metal-Free Nitrogen-Doped Carbon for Controllable Reduction of CO<sub>2</sub> to Syngas
Molecules
nitrogen-doped carbon
carbon-based catalyst
electrocatalytic
CO/H<sub>2</sub> syngas
title Rational Design of Metal-Free Nitrogen-Doped Carbon for Controllable Reduction of CO<sub>2</sub> to Syngas
title_full Rational Design of Metal-Free Nitrogen-Doped Carbon for Controllable Reduction of CO<sub>2</sub> to Syngas
title_fullStr Rational Design of Metal-Free Nitrogen-Doped Carbon for Controllable Reduction of CO<sub>2</sub> to Syngas
title_full_unstemmed Rational Design of Metal-Free Nitrogen-Doped Carbon for Controllable Reduction of CO<sub>2</sub> to Syngas
title_short Rational Design of Metal-Free Nitrogen-Doped Carbon for Controllable Reduction of CO<sub>2</sub> to Syngas
title_sort rational design of metal free nitrogen doped carbon for controllable reduction of co sub 2 sub to syngas
topic nitrogen-doped carbon
carbon-based catalyst
electrocatalytic
CO/H<sub>2</sub> syngas
url https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/30/4/953
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