Metal-N_(4)(M-N_(4))macrocyclic complexes are interesting electrocatalysts due to their well-defined structures and rich molecular tuning.Among them,metal phthalocyanines have been widely studied for the carbon dioxid...Metal-N_(4)(M-N_(4))macrocyclic complexes are interesting electrocatalysts due to their well-defined structures and rich molecular tuning.Among them,metal phthalocyanines have been widely studied for the carbon dioxide reduction reaction(CO_(2)RR)in heterogeneous systems and demonstrated good electrocatalytic performance.However,other complexes like metal corroles and metal porphyrins are much less explored,and often show inferior performances.In this study,three cobalt macrocyclic complexes,cobalt phthalocyanine,cobalt meso-tetraphenylporphyrin,and cobalt meso-triphenylcorrole(CoPc,CoTPP and CoTPC)are investigated in heterogeneous electrocatalysis of CO_(2)RR.Although CoPc/carbon nanotube(CNT)hybrid exhibits high electrocatalytic activity,CNT hybridization does not work for CoTPC and CoTPP that hold weak interactions with CNTs.By the drop-dry method with a high molecular loading of 5.4×10^(–7) mol cm^(–2),CoTPC and CoTPP could deliver appreciable electrode activities.Poly(4-vinylpyridine)(PVP)introduction is further demonstrated as a facile method to afford enhanced activities for CoTPP at low molecular loadings through enhancing molecule-substrate interactions.The partial current density of carbon monoxide for CoTPP+CNT/PVP is around 8 times higher than the sample without PVP at–0.67 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode.This work provides solutions to enhance the electrode activities of molecular electrocatalysts with weak substrate interactions in heterogeneous systems.展开更多
文摘Metal-N_(4)(M-N_(4))macrocyclic complexes are interesting electrocatalysts due to their well-defined structures and rich molecular tuning.Among them,metal phthalocyanines have been widely studied for the carbon dioxide reduction reaction(CO_(2)RR)in heterogeneous systems and demonstrated good electrocatalytic performance.However,other complexes like metal corroles and metal porphyrins are much less explored,and often show inferior performances.In this study,three cobalt macrocyclic complexes,cobalt phthalocyanine,cobalt meso-tetraphenylporphyrin,and cobalt meso-triphenylcorrole(CoPc,CoTPP and CoTPC)are investigated in heterogeneous electrocatalysis of CO_(2)RR.Although CoPc/carbon nanotube(CNT)hybrid exhibits high electrocatalytic activity,CNT hybridization does not work for CoTPC and CoTPP that hold weak interactions with CNTs.By the drop-dry method with a high molecular loading of 5.4×10^(–7) mol cm^(–2),CoTPC and CoTPP could deliver appreciable electrode activities.Poly(4-vinylpyridine)(PVP)introduction is further demonstrated as a facile method to afford enhanced activities for CoTPP at low molecular loadings through enhancing molecule-substrate interactions.The partial current density of carbon monoxide for CoTPP+CNT/PVP is around 8 times higher than the sample without PVP at–0.67 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode.This work provides solutions to enhance the electrode activities of molecular electrocatalysts with weak substrate interactions in heterogeneous systems.
