Synergistic Interactions in a Heterobimetallic Ce(III)–Ni(II) Diimine Complex: Enhancing the Electrocatalytic Efficiency for CO₂ Reduction

In this study, we propose a practical approach for producing a heterobimetallic Ni(II)–Ce(III) diimine complex from an extended salen-type ligand (H2L) to serve as an electrocatalyst for CO2 reduction and demonstrate an outstanding overall efficiency of 99.6% of the cerium–nickel complex and integrate it into applicable cell assemblies. We optimize not only the catalyst, but the operational conditions enabling successful CO2 electrolysis over extended periods at different current densities. A comparison of electrochemical behavior in H-cell and zero-gap cell electrolyzers suggests potential applications for industrial scale-up. In the H-cell electrolyzer configuration, the most elevated efficiency in CO production was achieved with a selectivity of 56.96% at −1.01 V vs RHE, while HCOO– formation exhibited a selectivity of 32.24% at −1.11 V vs RHE. The highest TON was determined to be 14657.0 for CO formation, followed by HCOO– with a TON of 927.8 at −1.11 V vs RHE. In the zero-gap electrolyzer configuration, the most efficient setup toward CO production was identified at a current density (CD) of 75 mA cm–2, a flow rate of 10 mL min–1, operating at 60 °C and utilizing a low KOH concentration of 0.1 M to yield a maximum faradaic efficiency (FECO) of 82.1% during 24 h of stable electrocatalysis.