Argonne National Laboratory

Research Highlight | Center for Nanoscale Materials

Versatile electrochemical reduction of CO2 by varying the size of tin catalysts
In a Journal of the American Chemical Society paper, researchers demonstrated versatile electrochemical reduction of CO2 by varying the size of tin catalysts.
Featured article image
Synthesis of Sn/C catalysts with varying metal dispersion leading to high selectivity in CO₂ conversion to (a) acetate, (b) ethanol, and (c) formate. HAADF-STEM images showing progression from isolated Sn atoms (yellow circles) in Sn/C-0.12 (d) to ultrasmall Sn clusters (red circles) in Sn/C-1.2 (e), and Sn nanocrystallites in Sn/C-12 (f).

Scientific Achievement

Electrochemical conversion paths of CO2 to organics can be effectively modified by varying the size of Sn active sites, achieving very high selectivity and low onset potentials.

Significance and Impact

Direct conversion of CO2 to C2+ organics is a promising strategy for utilizing CO2 in chemical production while mitigating climate change at scale.

Research Details

  • Carbon-supported tin (Sn) catalysts were prepared with controlled dispersion and cluster sizes
  • CNM directly imaged the arrangement of tin atoms with (S)TEM

DOI: 10.1021/jacs.3c12722

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About Argonne’s Center for Nanoscale Materials
The Center for Nanoscale Materials is one of the five DOE Nanoscale Science Research Centers, premier national user facilities for interdisciplinary research at the nanoscale supported by the DOE Office of Science. Together the NSRCs comprise a suite of complementary facilities that provide researchers with state-of-the-art capabilities to fabricate, process, characterize and model nanoscale materials, and constitute the largest infrastructure investment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative. The NSRCs are located at DOE’s Argonne, Brookhaven, Lawrence Berkeley, Oak Ridge, Sandia and Los Alamos National Laboratories. For more information about the DOE NSRCs, please visit https://​sci​ence​.osti​.gov/​U​s​e​r​-​F​a​c​i​l​i​t​i​e​s​/​U​s​e​r​-​F​a​c​i​l​i​t​i​e​s​-​a​t​-​a​-​G​lance.

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