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The role of reticular chemistry in the design of CO2 reduction catalysts

Nature Materials volume 17, pages 301–307 (2018)Cite this article

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A Publisher Correction to this article was published on 07 August 2018

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Abstract

The problem with current state-of-the-art catalysts for CO2 photo- or electroreduction is rooted in the notion that no single system can independently control, and thus optimize, the interplay between activity, selectivity and efficiency. At its core, reticular chemistry is recognized for its ability to control, with atomic precision, the chemical and structural features (activity and selectivity) as well as the output optoelectronic properties (efficiency) of porous, crystalline materials. The molecular building blocks that are in a reticular chemist’s toolbox are chosen in such a way that the structures are rationally designed, framework chemistry is performed to integrate catalytically active components, and the manner in which these building blocks are connected endows the material with the desired optoelectronic properties. The fact that these aspects can be fine-tuned independently lends credence to the prospect of reticular chemistry contributing to the design of next-generation CO2 reduction catalysts.

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Fig. 1: The grand challenge in developing CO2 reduction catalysts lies in the interplay between selectivity, activity and efficiency.
Fig. 2: The design of MOFs as CO2 reduction photocatalysts.
Fig. 3: Conceptual principles for developing MOFs/COFs as electrochemical CO2 reduction catalysts.
Fig. 4: Schematic of the proposed photoelectrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to CO by COF-366(Co) in a hypothetical photoelectrochemical cell.

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  • 07 August 2018

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Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge Saudi Aramco (ORCP2390) for their continued collaboration and support. C.S.D. would like to acknowledge the Kavli Foundation for support through the Kavli Energy NanoScience Institute Philomathia graduate student fellowship. Y.L. is supported by the graduate student fellowship in the environmental sciences provided by the Philomathia Center. K.E.C. is grateful for discussions with A. Jamal (Saudi Aramco) during the preliminary stages of this manuscript. Finally, we acknowledge M. Prevot (UC Berkeley) for helpful discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA

    Christian S. Diercks, Yuzhong Liu, Kyle E. Cordova & Omar M. Yaghi

  2. Kavli Energy NanoScience Institute at Berkeley, Berkeley, California, USA

    Christian S. Diercks, Yuzhong Liu, Kyle E. Cordova & Omar M. Yaghi

  3. Berkeley Global Science Institute, University of California, Berkeley, California, USA

    Christian S. Diercks, Yuzhong Liu, Kyle E. Cordova & Omar M. Yaghi

  4. Center for Research Excellence in Nanotechnology, King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia

    Kyle E. Cordova & Omar M. Yaghi

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K.E.C. and O.M.Y. conceived the general idea behind this Perspective. C.S.D. and K.E.C. wrote the manuscript under the mentorship of O.M.Y. Y.L. aided in figure creation. The manuscript was written through contributions of all authors. All authors have given approval to the final version of the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Omar M. Yaghi.

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Diercks, C.S., Liu, Y., Cordova, K.E. et al. The role of reticular chemistry in the design of CO2 reduction catalysts. Nature Mater 17, 301–307 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-018-0033-5

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