Sn Catalysts with Build-in [NCN]2− as Proton Relay for Industrial-Grade CO2 Reduction at Low Overpotential

Prof. Biaobiao Zhang’s group in the Department of Chemistry at Westlake University recently published a research paper in the Angewandte Chemie International Edition. The paper is titled “Sn Catalysts with Build-in [NCN]²⁻ as Proton Relay for Industrial-Grade CO₂ Reduction at Low Overpotential”.

The research reported a Sn-based catalyst, SnNCN, featuring a reversible [NCN]²⁻ configuration that acts as a build-in "proton relay", significantly enhancing proton transfer efficiency. This breakthrough greatly improves the performance of Sn-based catalysts in CO₂ electroreduction to formate. By modulating the [NCN]²⁻ content, from SnO and Sn₂ONCN to SnNCN, the study systematically reveals the role of proton transfer in enhancing catalytic activity. At a low overpotential of just 360 mV, SnNCN achieves an industrial-level current density of 450 mA cm⁻² with a Faradaic efficiency of 97.4%, and it maintains stable operation for over 110 hours at 200 mA cm⁻². This work provides a new paradigm for the design of electrochemical CO₂ reduction catalysts.

Ph.D. student Kaili Zhu, Dr. Bingquan Jia and Dr. Zhe Chen from Westlake University are the first co-authors. Prof. Tao Wang and Prof. Biaobiao Zhang from the Department of Chemistry at Westlake University are the corresponding authors.