Ni-N Doped Porous Carbon for Electrocatalytic Reduction of CO2 into CO Driven by Solar Energy

Abstract

: The electroreduction of CO 2 into value-added chemicals and fuels has garnered a broad interest by using renewable clean energy, due to both alleviating global warming and completing the carbon cycle. Herein, a high-performance Ni-N doped porous carbon catalyst was prepared through pyrolysis of hydrogen containing peptone, NiCl 2 , and NaCl made by a freeze dry method. The Ni-N-doped porous carbon catalyst displayed an excellent performance of CO 2 electroreduction with a Faraday efficiency of 92.0% at − 0.66 V ( vs . RHE), 550 mV overpotential ， and 2.5 mA · cm − 2 current density. The catalytic performances were attributed to the Ni-N active sites and porous structures. In addition, CO 2 electroreduction to CO was performed continuously by using solar energy, which may provide a valuable reference for carbon cycle in future.