Development of Mn/Cu Bi-metallic MOF for electrochemical CO₂ reduction into valuable products

In order to promote the electrochemical reduction of CO₂ into valuable products and chemical feedstock, the refinement of inexpensive, functioning, highly discerning catalysts is of utmost importance to alleviate inordinate carbon dioxide emissions in the atmosphere. This study presents an innovative electrocatalyst composed of MnO and CuO nanoparticles anchored onto Mn: Cu(1:2)@MOF. These nanocomposites offer multiple active sites for electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction, resulting in a striking current density of almost − 58 mAcm⁻² at − 2 V vs. Ag/AgCl (reference electrode) in 0.1 M aqueous KHCO₃ electrolyte with faradic efficiency of nearly 52% for CO and 54% for methane at − 1.5 V and − 1.4 V vs. Ag/AgCl, respectively. This performance is in stark contrast to the Mn: Cu(1:1)@MOF and Mn: Cu(2:1)@MOF, which exhibit current densities of − 56 mAcm⁻² and − 51 mAcm⁻² respectively under similar cathodic voltages. The excellent catalytic accomplishment can be credited to the interaction between nanoparticles and MOFs, which allows enhanced absorption and activation for CO₂ molecules due to approachable metallic components and matchless 2-D formation of Mn: Cu(1:2)@MOF. These finding presents a straightforward approach to promote CO₂ to valuable products through the analytical formulation of MOF alloy.