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Rational design and synergistic effect of ultrafine Ag nanodots decorated fish-scale-like Zn nanoleaves for highly selective electrochemical CO2 reduction

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Abstract

The electrocatalytic CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) is regarded as a promising route for renewable energy conversion and storage, but its development is limited by the high overpotential and low stability and selectivity of electrocatalysts. Moreover, it is complicated to accurately adjust the nanostructure of electrocatalysts, which impacts repeatability. Herein, we propose the rational design and controlled preparation of ultrafine Ag nanodots decorated fish-scale-like Zn nanoleaves (Ag-NDs/Zn-NLs) for highly selective electrocatalytic CO2 reduction. The Ag-NDs/Zn-NLs can be in-situ grown on copper foil with simple electrodeposition and replacement reactions. Benefiting from the coordination and synergistic effect of Zn and Ag species, the reconstruction of Zn surface and the agglomeration of Ag-NDs are efficiently prevented, bringing high activity and durable electrocatalytic stability for CO2-to-CO conversion. The Faradaic efficiency for CO production reaches 85.2% at a moderate applied potential of −1.0 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). This study provides a promising approach for controlling the catalytic activity and selectivity of CO2RR through the structural adjustment and decoration of transition metal based nanocatalysts.

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Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the supports by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2017YFA0208200), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 22022505 and 21872069), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Nos. 020514380266, 020514380272, and 020514380274), the Scientific and Technological Innovation Special Fund for Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality of Jiangsu Province (No. BK20220008), the Nan**g International Collaboration Research Program (No. 202201007 and 2022SX00000955), and the Suzhou Gusu Leading Talent Program of Science and Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Wujiang District (No. ZXL2021273).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Coordination Chemistry, MOE Key Laboratory of Mesoscopic Chemistry, MOE Key Laboratory of High Performance Polymer Materials and Technology, Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Advanced Organic Materials, School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nan**g University, Nan**g, 210023, China

    Songyuan Yang, Minghang Jiang, Miao Wang, Lei Wang, **nmei Song, Yaoda Wang, Zuoxiu Tie & Zhong **

  2. Department of Chemistry, School of Science, **hua University, Chengdu, 610039, China

    Minghang Jiang

  3. Suzhou Tierui New Energy Technology Co., Ltd., Suzhou, 215228, China

    Zuoxiu Tie & Zhong **

  4. Nan**g Tieming Energy Technology Co., Ltd., Nan**g, 210093, China

    Zuoxiu Tie & Zhong **

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  1. Songyuan Yang
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  2. Minghang Jiang
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  3. Miao Wang
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  4. Lei Wang
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  5. **nmei Song
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Correspondence to Zhong **.

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Rational design and synergistic effect of ultrafine Ag nanodots decorated fish-scale-like Zn nanoleaves for highly selective electrochemical CO2 reduction

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Yang, S., Jiang, M., Wang, M. et al. Rational design and synergistic effect of ultrafine Ag nanodots decorated fish-scale-like Zn nanoleaves for highly selective electrochemical CO2 reduction. Nano Res. 16, 8910–8918 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12274-023-5596-z

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