Electrocatalytic Production of Tunable Syngas from CO<sub>2</sub> via a Metal-Free Porous Nitrogen-Doped Carbon
Keyu Chen, Jie Deng, Jiao Zhao, Xi Liu, Sarah Imhanria, Wei Wang
Abstract
Recently, using high-efficiency and low-cost metal-free catalysts to prepare tunable syngas from CO2 is an attractive research hotspot. Herein, a metal-free porous nitrogen-doped carbon (PNC) catalyst is prepared using melamine as the nitrogen source and pentaerythritol as the carbon source. Electrochemical tests show that PNC has pre-eminent activity, good selectivity (FECO = 74%, FEH2 = 18%, at −0.6 V) and superior stability in electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR). Most importantly, by adjusting the applied potential, different ratios of tunable syngas (a mixture of H2 and CO) can be obtained (H2/CO can be adjusted from 0.24 to 5.25). This study would be good reference for developing other metal-free carbon materials applied in CO2RR.