Lu Bingyi, Min Zhiwen, Xiao Xiao, Wang Boran, Chen Biao, Lu Gongxun, Liu Yingqi, Mao Rui, Song Yanze, Zeng Xian-Xiang, Sun Yuanmiao, Yang Jinlong, Zhou Guangmin
Tsinghua-Berkeley Shenzhen Institute & Tsinghua Shenzhen International Graduate School, Tsinghua University, Shenzhen, 518055, China.
Shenzhen Key Laboratory of Energy Electrocatalytic Materials, Guangdong Research Center for Interfacial Engineering of Functional Materials, College of Materials Science and Engineering, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen, 518060, China.
Adv Mater. 2024 Jan;36(1):e2309264. doi: 10.1002/adma.202309264. Epub 2023 Nov 27.
Lithium-carbon dioxide (Li-CO ) batteries are regarded as a prospective technology to relieve the pressure of greenhouse emissions but are confronted with sluggish CO redox kinetics and low energy efficiency. Developing highly efficient and low-cost catalysts to boost bidirectional activities is craved but remains a huge challenge. Herein, derived from the spent lithium-ion batteries, a tandem catalyst is subtly synthesized and significantly accelerates the CO reduction and evolution reactions (CO RR and CO ER) kinetics with an in-built electric field (BEF). Combining with the theoretical calculations and advanced characterization techniques, this work reveals that the designed interface-induced BEF regulates the adsorption/decomposition of the intermediates during CO RR and CO ER, endowing the recycled tandem catalyst with excellent bidirectional activities. As a result, the spent electronics-derived tandem catalyst exhibits remarkable bidirectional catalytic performance, such as an ultralow voltage gap of 0.26 V and an ultrahigh energy efficiency of 92.4%. Profoundly, this work affords new opportunities to fabricate low-cost electrocatalysts from recycled spent electronics and inspires fresh perceptions of interfacial regulation including but not limited to BEF to engineer better Li-CO batteries.
锂-二氧化碳（Li-CO₂）电池被视为缓解温室气体排放压力的一项前瞻性技术，但面临着缓慢的CO₂氧化还原动力学和低能量效率的问题。开发高效且低成本的催化剂以促进双向反应活性备受渴望，但仍然是一个巨大的挑战。在此，源自废旧锂离子电池，一种串联催化剂被巧妙合成，并通过内置电场（BEF）显著加速了CO₂还原和析出反应（CO₂RR和CO₂ER）的动力学。结合理论计算和先进表征技术，这项工作揭示了设计的界面诱导BEF在CO₂RR和CO₂ER过程中调节中间体的吸附/分解，赋予回收的串联催化剂优异的双向活性。结果，源自废旧电子产品的串联催化剂展现出卓越的双向催化性能，例如0.26 V的超低电压差和92.4%的超高能量效率。深刻地说，这项工作为从回收的废旧电子产品制造低成本电催化剂提供了新机遇，并激发了对包括但不限于BEF的界面调控的全新认识，以设计出更好的锂-二氧化碳电池。
