Selective electroreduction of CO(2) to acetone by single copper atoms anchored on N-doped porous carbon

Efficient electroreduction of CO(2) to multi-carbon products is a challenging reaction because of the high energy barriers for CO(2) activation and C–C coupling, which can be tuned by designing the metal centers and coordination environments of catalysts. Here, we design single atom copper encapsulated on N-doped porous carbon (Cu-SA/NPC) catalysts for reducing CO(2) to multi-carbon products. Acetone is identified as the major product with a Faradaic efficiency of 36.7% and a production rate of 336.1 μg h(−1). Density functional theory (DFT) calculations reveal that the coordination of Cu with four pyrrole-N atoms is the main active site and reduces the reaction free energies required for CO(2) activation and C–C coupling. The energetically favorable pathways for CH(3)COCH(3) production from CO(2) reduction are proposed and the origin of selective acetone formation on Cu-SA/NPC is clarified. This work provides insight into the rational design of efficient electrocatalysts for reducing CO(2) to multi-carbon products.