Microstructure Design Strategy for Molecularly Dispersed Cobalt Phthalocyanine and Efficient Mass Transport in CO<sub>2</sub> Electroreduction
Pengtao Yue, Liyang Zhong, Yuhe Deng, Jun Li, Liang Zhang, Dingding Ye, Xun Zhu, Qian Fu, Qiang Liao
Abstract
Abstract Cobalt phthalocyanine (CoPc) has attracted particular interest owing to its excellent activity during the electrochemical CO 2 conversion to CO. However, the efficient utilization of CoPc at industrially relevant current densities is still a challenge owing to its nonconductive property, agglomeration, and unfavorable conductive substrate design. Here, a microstructure design strategy for dispersing CoPc molecules on a carbon substrate for efficient CO 2 transport during CO 2 electrolysis is proposed and demonstrated. The highly dispersed CoPc is loaded on a macroporous hollow nanocarbon sheet to act as the catalyst (CoPc/CS). The unique interconnected and macroporous structure of the carbon sheet forms a large specific surface area to anchor CoPc with high dispersion and simultaneously boosts the mass transport of reactants in the catalyst layer, significantly improving the electrochemical performance. By employing a zero‐gap flow cell, the designed catalyst can mediate CO 2 to CO with a high full‐cell energy efficiency of 57% at 200 mA cm −2 .