Anionic Metal–Organic Framework Derived Cu Catalyst for Selective CO<sub>2</sub> Electroreduction to Hydrocarbons
Chun Fang Wen, Shuang Yang, Jing He, Qiang Niu, Peng Fei Liu, Hua Gui Yang
Abstract
Abstract Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs)‐related Cu materials are promising candidates for promoting electrochemical CO 2 reduction to produce valuable chemical feedstocks. However, many MOF materials inevitable undergo reconstruction under reduction conditions; therefore, exploiting the restructuring of MOF materials is of importance for the rational design of high‐performance catalyst targeting multi‐carbon products (C 2 ). Herein, a facile solvent process is choosed to fabricate HKUST‐1 with an anionic framework (a‐HKUST‐1) and utilize it as a pre‐catalyst for alkaline CO 2 RR. The a‐HKUST‐1 catalyst can be electrochemically reduced into Cu with significant structural reconstruction under operating reaction conditions. The anionic HKUST‐1 derived Cu catalyst (aHD–Cu) delivers a FE C2H4 of 56% and FE C2 of ≈80% at −150 mA cm −2 in alkaline electrolyte. The resulting aHD‐Cu catalyst has a high electrochemically active surface area and low coordinated sites. In situ Raman spectroscopy indicates that the aHD–Cu surface displays higher coverage of *CO intermediates, which favors the production of hydrocarbons.