Realizing ampere-level CO2 electrolysis at low voltage over a woven network of few-atom-layer ultralong silverene nanobelts with ultrahigh aspect ratio by pairing with formaldehyde oxidation

Min Zhang; Xinyu Wang; Junjie Ding; Chaogang Ban; Yajie Feng; Chaohe Xu; Xiaoyuan Zhou

doi:10.1039/d4nr00361f

Realizing ampere-level CO₂ electrolysis at low voltage over a woven network of few-atom-layer ultralong silverene nanobelts with ultrahigh aspect ratio by pairing with formaldehyde oxidation

Nanoscale. 2024 Apr 4;16(14):7076-7084. doi: 10.1039/d4nr00361f.

Authors

Min Zhang¹, Xinyu Wang², Junjie Ding¹, Chaogang Ban¹, Yajie Feng¹, Chaohe Xu^{3

4}, Xiaoyuan Zhou^{3

5

6}

Affiliations

¹ College of Physics and Center of Quantum Materials and Devices, Chongqing University, Chongqing 401331, China. xiaoyuan2013@cqu.edu.cn.
² School of Chemistry and Materials Science, University of Science and Technology of China, Anhui 230026, China.
³ National Engineering Research Center for Magnesium Alloys, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China. xche@cqu.edu.cn.
⁴ College of Aerospace Engineering, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China.
⁵ Institute of NEW Energy Storage Materials and Equipment, Chongqing 401135, China.
⁶ State Key Laboratory of Coal Mine Disaster Dynamics and Control, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400044, China.

PMID: 38482599
DOI: 10.1039/d4nr00361f

Abstract

The development of advanced multi-functional electrocatalysts and their industrial operation on paired electrocatalysis systems presents a promising avenue for the gradual penetration of renewable energy into practical production. Herein, a self-supported conductive network of silverene nanobelts (Ag-ene NBs) was delicately assembled (Ag-NB-NWs), in which ultralong and few-atom-layer Ag-ene NBs with a high edge-to-facet ratio were interconnected, serving as "superreactors" for electron transfer and mass transport during the reaction. Such superstructures as electrocatalysts delivered an unparalleled performance toward the CO₂-to-CO conversion with exclusively high faradaic efficiency (FE) and partial current densities of up to 1 A cm^-2. Remarkably, the membrane electrode assembly (MEA) cell with Ag-NB-NWs as the cathode was capable of ultrastable and continuous operation for over 240 h at 0.4 A with ∼100% selectivity. More importantly, by further using Ag-NB-NWs as a bifunctional electrocatalyst, a record-low voltage overall CO₂ electrolysis system coupling cathodic CO₂ reduction with anodic formaldehyde oxidation in MEA cell was performed to achieve concurrent feed gas generation and formate production, substantially improving electrochemical techno-economic feasibility.