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Densely Packed, Ultra Small SnO Nanoparticles for Enhanced Activity and Selectivity in Electrochemical CO 2 Reduction
Author(s) -
Gu Jun,
Héroguel Florent,
Luterbacher Jeremy,
Hu Xile
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
angewandte chemie international edition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.831
H-Index - 550
eISSN - 1521-3773
pISSN - 1433-7851
DOI - 10.1002/anie.201713003
Subject(s) - selectivity , nanoparticle , catalysis , tin , carbon black , electrochemistry , materials science , chemical engineering , formate , carbon monoxide , electrode , inorganic chemistry , nanotechnology , chemistry , metallurgy , organic chemistry , composite material , natural rubber , engineering
Controlling the selectivity in electrochemical CO 2 reduction is an unsolved challenge. While tin (Sn) has emerged as a promising non‐precious catalyst for CO 2 electroreduction, most Sn‐based catalysts produce formate as the major product, which is less desirable than CO in terms of separation and further use. Tin monoxide (SnO) nanoparticles supported on carbon black were synthesized and assembled and their application in CO 2 reduction was studied. Remarkably high selectivity and partial current densities for CO formation were obtained using these SnO nanoparticles compared to other Sn catalysts. The high activity is attributed to the ultra‐small size of the nanoparticles (2.6 nm), while the high selectivity is attributed to a local pH effect arising from the dense packing of nanoparticles in the conductive carbon black matrix.