Design of a Graphene Nitrene Two-Dimensional Catalyst Heterostructure Providing a Well-Defined Site Accommodating 1 to 3 Metals, with Application to CO₂ Reduction Electrocatalysis for the 2 Metal Case

Abstract

Recently, the reduction of CO₂ to fuels has been the subject of numerous studies, but the selectivity and activity remain inadequate. Progress has been made on single-site two-dimensional catalysts based on graphene coupled to a metal and nitrogen for the CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂RR); however, the product is usually CO, and the metal–N environment remains ambiguous. We report a novel two-dimensional graphene nitrene heterostructure (grafiN₆) providing well-defined active sites (N₆) that can bind one to three metals for the CO₂RR. We find that homobimetallic FeFe–grafiN₆ could reduce CO₂ to CH₄ at −0.61 V and to CH₃CH₂OH at −0.68 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode, with high product selectivity. Moreover, the heteronuclear FeCu–grafiN₆ system may be significantly less affected by hydrogen evolution reaction, while maintaining a low limiting potential (−0.68 V) for C1 and C2 mechanisms. Binding metals to one N₆ site but not the other could promote efficient electron transport facilitating some reaction steps. This framework for single or multiple metal sites might also provide unique catalytic sites for other catalytic processes.