CO 2 Electrochemical Reduction by Exohedral N-Pyridine Decorated Metal-Free Carbon Nanotubes

Electrochemical CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) to fuels and chemicals represents nowadays one of the most challenging solutions for renewable energy storage and utilization. Among the possible reaction pathways, CO 2 -to-CO conversion is the first (2e − ) reduction step towards the production of a key-feedstock that holds great relevance for chemical industry. In this report we describe the electrocatalytic CO 2 -to-CO reduction by a series of tailored N-decorated carbon nanotubes to be employed as chemoselective metal-free electrocatalysts. The choice of an exohedral functionalization tool for the introduction of defined N-groups at the outer surface of carbon nanomaterials warrants a unique control on N-configuration and electronic charge density distribution at the dangling heterocycles. A comparative electrochemical screening of variably N-substituted carbon nanomaterials in CO 2 RR together with an analysis of the electronic charge density distribution at each heterocycle have suggested the existence of a coherent descriptor for the catalyst’s CO faradaic efficiency (FE CO ). Evidence allows to infer that N-configuration (N-pyridinic vs. N-pyrrolic) of exohedral dopants and electronic charge density distribution at the N-neighboring carbon atoms of each heterocycle are directly engaged in the activation and stabilization of CO 2 and its reduction intermediates.