Fabricating pyridinic N-B sites in porous carbon as efficient metal-free electrocatalyst in conversion CO_(2)into CH_(4)

Electrochemical reduction of CO_(2)(CO_(2)RR)to value-added chemicals is an attractive strategy for greenhouse gas mitigation and carbon recycle.Carbon material is one of most promising electrocatalysts but its product selectivity is limited by few modulating approaches for active sites.Herein,the predominant pyridinic N-B sites(accounting for 80%to all N species)are fabricated in hierarchically porous structure of graphene nanoribbons/amorphous carbon.The graphene nanoribbons and porous structure can accelerate electron and ion/gas transport during CO_(2)RR,respectively.This carbon electrocatalyst exhibits excellent selectivity toward CO_(2)reduction to CH_(4)with the faradaic efficiency of 68%at−0.50 V vs.RHE.As demonstrated by density functional theory,a proper adsorbed energy of∗CO and∗CH_(2)O are generated on the pyridinic N-B site resulting into high CH_(4)selectivity.Therefore,this study provides a novel method to modulate active sites of carbon-based electrocatalyst to obtain high CH_(4)selectivity.