Boosting Electrochemical Carbon Dioxide Reduction on Atomically Dispersed Nickel Catalyst

Single-atom catalysts (SACs) with metal–nitrogen (M–N) sites are one of the most promising electrocatalysts for electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction (ECO 2 R). However, challenges in simultaneously enhancing the activity and selectivity greatly limit the efficiency of ECO 2 R due to the improper interaction of reactants/intermediates on these catalytic sites. Herein, we report a carbon-based nickel (Ni) cluster catalyst containing both single-atom and cluster sites (NiNx-T, T = 500–800) through a ligand-mediated method and realize a highly active and selective electrocatalytic CO 2 R process. The catalytic performance can be regulated by the dispersion of Ni–N species via controlling the pyrolysis condition. Benefitting from the synergistic effect of pyrrolic-nitrogen coordinated Ni single-atom and cluster sites, NiNx-600 exhibits a satisfying catalytic performance, including a high partial current density of 61.85 mA cm −2 and a high turnover frequency (TOF) of 7,291 h −1 at −1.2 V vs. RHE, and almost 100% selectivity toward carbon monoxide (CO) production, as well as good stability under 10 h of continuous electrolysis. This work discloses the significant role of regulating the coordination environment of the transition metal sites and the synergistic effect between the isolated single-site and cluster site in enhancing the ECO 2 R performance.