Effects of Cu Doping on NiPPc electrocatalysts for CO 2 Electrocatalytic Reduction

The climate crisis caused by excessive carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) emissions urgently call for efficient electrocatalytic reduction technology to convert CO ₂ into high value-added products. In this study, nickel polyphthalocyanine (NiPPc) electrocatalysts with different copper (Cu) doping amounts (10-90wt%) were prepared by solvothermal method, Combining X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and other characterization and electrochemical testing, it is found that: Doping with 10 wt% Cu significantly enhanced catalytic activity, achieving a current density of 325 mA·cm ^− 2 at -0.6 V (vs. RHE)—2.8 times that of the undoped sample;50 wt% Cu doping optimized the Cu–N ₄ active sites, yielding a carbon monoxide (CO) Faraday efficiency of up to 95% at -1.0 V; 30 wt% Cu-doped catalyst can generate CO:H ₂  = 1:1 syngas, A controllable catalyst design strategy is provided for CO ₂ electrocatalytic reduction.