CO 2 Electrochemical Reduction by Exohedral N-Pyridine Decorated Metal-Free Carbon Nanotubes

Giulia Tuci, Jonathan Filippi, Andrea Rossin, Lapo Luconi, Cuong Pham-Huu, Dmitry Yakhvarov, Francesco Vizza and Giuliano Giambastiani
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Giulia Tuci: Institute of Chemistry of OrganoMetallic Compounds (ICCOM-CNR) and Consorzio INSTM, Via Madonna del Piano, 10-50019 Sesto F.no, Florence, Italy
Jonathan Filippi: Institute of Chemistry of OrganoMetallic Compounds (ICCOM-CNR) and Consorzio INSTM, Via Madonna del Piano, 10-50019 Sesto F.no, Florence, Italy
Andrea Rossin: Institute of Chemistry of OrganoMetallic Compounds (ICCOM-CNR) and Consorzio INSTM, Via Madonna del Piano, 10-50019 Sesto F.no, Florence, Italy
Lapo Luconi: Institute of Chemistry of OrganoMetallic Compounds (ICCOM-CNR) and Consorzio INSTM, Via Madonna del Piano, 10-50019 Sesto F.no, Florence, Italy
Cuong Pham-Huu: Institute of Chemistry and Processes for Energy, Environment and Health (ICPEES), UMR 7515 CNRS-University of Strasbourg (UdS), 25, rue Becquerel, CEDEX 02, 67087 Strasbourg, France
Dmitry Yakhvarov: Alexander Butlerov Institute of Chemistry, Kazan Federal University, 420008 Kazan, Russia
Francesco Vizza: Institute of Chemistry of OrganoMetallic Compounds (ICCOM-CNR) and Consorzio INSTM, Via Madonna del Piano, 10-50019 Sesto F.no, Florence, Italy
Giuliano Giambastiani: Institute of Chemistry of OrganoMetallic Compounds (ICCOM-CNR) and Consorzio INSTM, Via Madonna del Piano, 10-50019 Sesto F.no, Florence, Italy

Energies, 2020, vol. 13, issue 11, 1-15

Abstract: Electrochemical CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) to fuels and chemicals represents nowadays one of the most challenging solutions for renewable energy storage and utilization. Among the possible reaction pathways, CO 2 -to-CO conversion is the first (2e − ) reduction step towards the production of a key-feedstock that holds great relevance for chemical industry. In this report we describe the electrocatalytic CO 2 -to-CO reduction by a series of tailored N-decorated carbon nanotubes to be employed as chemoselective metal-free electrocatalysts. The choice of an exohedral functionalization tool for the introduction of defined N-groups at the outer surface of carbon nanomaterials warrants a unique control on N-configuration and electronic charge density distribution at the dangling heterocycles. A comparative electrochemical screening of variably N-substituted carbon nanomaterials in CO 2 RR together with an analysis of the electronic charge density distribution at each heterocycle have suggested the existence of a coherent descriptor for the catalyst’s CO faradaic efficiency (FE CO ). Evidence allows to infer that N-configuration (N-pyridinic vs. N-pyrrolic) of exohedral dopants and electronic charge density distribution at the N-neighboring carbon atoms of each heterocycle are directly engaged in the activation and stabilization of CO 2 and its reduction intermediates.

Keywords: CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR); metal-free electrocatalysts; pyridine nuclei; exohedral chemical grafting; multi-walled carbon nanotubes (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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