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

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.