3D printing of customized catalytic electrodes with CoNX coordinations for reduction CO2 into syngas

3D printing has gained great attention in electrochemical CO 2 reduction (CO 2 RR), however, its use in constructing self-supported catalytic electrodes with well-dispersed coordination active sites is still underdeveloped. In this study, a catalytic electrode with CoN X coordination structures (3D-CE-CoN X ) was successfully fabricated using 3D printing for syngas production via CO 2 RR. The CO 2 RR reaction was conducted in a H-type electrolyzer, which was equipped with a conventional three-electrode system. Electrochemical tests show that 3D-CE-CoN X , carbonized at 700 °C, exhibits good CO 2 reduction activity within the potential range of −0.6 V to −1.0 V, producing syngas with a H 2 :CO ratio ranging from 0.53 to 1.79, which is tunable mainly by the applied potential. At −0.7 V, the current density for CO ( J CO ) is −0.19 mA cm −2 , while for H 2 ( J H2 )is −0.14 mA cm −2 . After 24 h of continuous electrolysis, 3D-CE-CoN X maintains 91.5% of its initial CO faradaic efficiency (FE CO ). Furthermore, X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) characterization confirms the successful incorporation of CoN X sites, validating the electrode’s effectiveness. This study highlights the unique advantages of 3D printing in catalytic electrode construction and provides a feasible pathway for obtaining high-performance catalytic electrodes for future energy conversion applications.