Recently, a research team led by Prof. Zeng Jie from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) constructed a stable single-site copper coordination polymer that largely improved the efficiency of ethylene production by single-atom catalytic electroreduction of carbon dioxide. This work was published in Nature Communications.
Mechanism of the anode-free Zn electrodeposition. a Schematic diagrams of Zn electrodeposition on Zn and Sb/Sb 2 Zn 3 -HI@Cu substrates (HI represents heterostructured interface). b Nucleation barriers of the Zn electrodeposition on Zn, Cu and Sb@Cu substrates, where the charge current density is 3 mA cm−2 in 2 M ZnBr 2 . c XRD patterns of the Zn electrodeposition and stripping on Sb@Cu at different capacities. d XPS spectra of Zn 2p of Zn plating on Sb@Cu substrate with different capacities. e HRTEM images of the Sb 2 Zn 3 -HI@Cu anode. f EDS-mapping of the Zn and Sb in the Sb 2 Zn 3 -HI@Cu anode. The sample for HRTEM and EDS-mapping measurements was prepared by plating 0.2 mAh Zn on Sb@Cu substrate. The constant current electrodeposition shown in Fig. 1b was carried out at room temperature (25 °C). Credit: Nature Communications (2023). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-35630-6 Single-site catalysts have attracted great attention due to their clear structure, high utilization ratio and high selectivity. It is commonly agreed that copper particles catalyze…