Zinc Imidazolate Metal–Organic Frameworks (ZIF‐8) for Electrochemical Reduction of CO₂ to CO

Abstract

Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) are regarded as promising materials for CO₂ adsorption, which is an important step in CO₂ electrochemical reduction. In this work, zeolitic imidazolate framework (ZIF-8) nanomaterials were synthesized with various zinc sources and used as electrocatalysts for CO₂ reduction to CO. Among them, ZIF-8, prepared using ZnSO₄ , delivers the best catalytic activity towards CO₂ electroreduction, with 65 % CO yield. The main catalytic center can be attributed to the discrete Zn nodes in ZIF-8. Electrolytes are important in increasing the CO selectivity, and NaCl is the best suitable electrolyte due to facile anion exchange.