Nafion-Mediated Proton Transfer Facilitates the Electroreduction of SO2 to H2S

• DOI: 10.1021/acsami.3c14546
• Publication Date: 2023-12-08T06:54:50Z
• Authors: Hui Liu; Zhujiang Wang; Hao Chen; Yushan Tu; Jun Wu; Fenghua Shen; Xudong Liu; Yingxue Fu; Lin Wu; Jiaqi Long; Kaisong Xiang
• Keywords: Nafion

The electrocatalytic reduction of SO2 to produce H2S is a critical approach for achieving the efficient utilization sulfur resources. At core this commercial applications lies imperative need elevate current density. However, challenges posed by high density manifest in rapid depletion protons, leading decrease partial pressure, consequently hampering generation and separation H2S. Here, we demonstrate an effective solution alleviate problem insufficient supply protons employing Nafion polymer as proton conductor modified Cu catalysts surface, creating proton-enriched layer boost generation. It was observed that shortens hydrogen bonds with water molecules electrolyte via its sulfonic acid groups, benefiting transfer increasing on electrode surface 5-fold. With Nafion-modified catalyst, efficiency reached 205.9 mA·cm–2 (1.01 mmol·cm–2·h–1) 87.8%, which were 1.34 1.22 times unmodified Cu, respectively. This work highlights practicality fabricating ionic control over product selectivity pH-sensitive reactions under