Fluorine-Tuned Carbon-Based Nickel Single-Atom Catalysts for Scalable and Highly Efficient CO2 Electrocatalytic Reduction

Electrocatalytic CO₂ reduction is garnering significant interest due to its potential applications in mitigating CO₂ and producing fuel. However, the scaling up of related catalysis is still hindered by several challenges, including the cost of the catalytic materials, low selectivity, small current densities to maintain desirable selectivity. In this study, Fluorine (F) atoms were introduced into an N-doped carbon-supported single nickel (Ni) atom catalyst via facile polymer-assisted pyrolysis. This method not only maintains the high atom utilization efficiency of Ni in a cost-effective and sustainable manner but also effectively manipulates the electronic structure of the active Ni–N₄ site through F doping. The catalyst has also been further optimized by controlling the F states, including convalent and semi-ionic states, by adjusting the fluorine sources involved. Consequently, this catalyst with unique structure exhibited comparable electrocatalytic performance for CO₂-to-CO conversion, achieving a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of over 99% across a wide potential range and an exceptional CO evolution rate of 9.5 × 10⁴ h^–1 at −1.16 V vs reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE). It also delivered a practical current of 400 mA cm^–2 while maintaining more than 95% CO FE. Experimental analysis combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations have also shown that F-doping modifies the electron configuration at the central Ni–N₄ sites. This modification lowers the energy barrier for CO₂ activation, thereby facilitating the production of the crucial *COOH intermediate.