Why surface hydrophobicity promotes CO electroreduction: a case study of hydrophobic polymer -heterocyclic carbenes

We report the use of polymer N -heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) to control the microenvironment surrounding metal nanocatalysts, thereby enhancing their catalytic performance in CO 2 electroreduction. Three polymer NHC ligands were designed with different hydrophobicity: hydrophilic poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO-NHC), hydrophobic polystyrene (PS-NHC), and amphiphilic block copolymer (BCP) (PEO- b -PS-NHC). All three polymer NHCs exhibited enhanced reactivity of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) during CO 2 electroreduction by suppressing proton reduction. Notably, the incorporation of hydrophobic PS segments in both PS-NHC and PEO- b -PS-NHC led to a twofold increase in the partial current density for CO formation, as compared to the hydrophilic PEO-NHC. While polymer ligands did not hinder ion diffusion, their hydrophobicity altered the localized hydrogen bonding structures of water. This was confirmed experimentally and theoretically through attenuated total reflectance surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy and molecular dynamics simulation, demonstrating improved CO 2 diffusion and subsequent reduction in the presence of hydrophobic polymers. Furthermore, NHCs exhibited reasonable stability under reductive conditions, preserving the structural integrity of AuNPs, unlike thiol-ended polymers. The combination of NHC binding motifs with hydrophobic polymers provides valuable insights into controlling the microenvironment of metal nanocatalysts, offering a bioinspired strategy for the design of artificial metalloenzymes. Polymer NHCs as a strong binding motif together with hydrophobicity control the accessibility of substrates at catalyst-electrolyte interface and enhance CO 2 electroreduction on metal catalysts.