Reimagining acidic CO₂ electroreduction via anion-mediated proton transfer.

ABSTRACT: Acidic CO₂ electroreduction reaction (CO₂RR) offers a carbon-negative pathway for synthesizing value-added chemicals with high carbon efficiency but is significantly hindered by the competing hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). While concentrated K⁺ cations have been extensively employed to suppress HER and improve CO₂RR selectivity, they inevitably trigger catastrophic salt precipitation that degrades the durability of the electrolyzer. Here, we pioneer an anion engineering strategy that breaks the cation-concentration paradigm through manipulating proton transfer dynamics. Combining mass spectrometry, spectroscopic techniques and theoretical calculations, we reveal that hydrolyzable anions improve proton transfer via forming protonated species t

SUBMITTER: Wang X 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12527354 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature