Synergistic catalysis of bimetallic nitrogen-doped carbon materials for efficient electrocatalytic CO2 reduction

Long-term continuous operation and large-scale development are essential for practical applications of electrocatalytic CO2 reduction (ECR). Herein, Fe/Ni binary metal nitrogen-doped carbon (Fe/Ni-N-C) materials were successfully constructed and evaluated in typical H cell. The Fe/Ni-N-C electrocatalyst showed a highest CO Faradaic efficiency (FECO) of 92.9% at − 0.677 V vs. RHE and a largest turnover frequency of 10.77 × 103 h−1. After being transferred to a larger-scale continuous flow cell, Fe/Ni-N-C exhibited higher current density and FECO with robust durability. Above 89% of FECO was reserved after 40 h of electrolysis. It was found that the synergetic effects of the binary metals effectively enhanced the charge transfer rate and provided favorable kinetics. Based on Fe/Ni-N-C as the cathode, an aqueous Zn-CO2 battery was further assembled with excellent charge-discharge cycle stability, which could serve as the electricity supply for ECR.