Design of high-performance wood-derived N-doped ECR electrocatalysts based on Marcus theory

Electrochemical reduction of CO₂ over wood-derived metal-free N-doped carbon electrocatalysts provides a new route for converting CO₂ into value-added fuels However, it is a challenge to efficiently design and screen high-performance electrocatalysts. In this paper, we combined the Marcus equation with the theory of thermal-kinetic correlation to successfully predict the optimal N-C doping ratio. Poplar wood -derived 3D N-doped graphitized carbon with optimal N doping content (pyridine-N 1.87 at%, pyrrole-N, 1.52 at%), high specific surface area (471.2 m² g⁻¹), and abundant nanopores were successfully obtained with the assistance of melamine (N source), which exhibited a high ECR activity of 86.78 % at a low applied potential of −0.71 V (vs. RHE) and long-term stability of at least 10 cycles. This extends the application of the Marcus equation and improves new ideas for the future design of high-performance electrocatalysts.