Construction of N/P co-doped 3D network carbon skeleton in wood tracheids derived from waste biomass to boost electroreduction of CO2 to CO

Abstract

Electrochemical CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) has emerged as a pivotal strategy for mitigating excessive CO 2 emissions and achieving carbon neutrality. Carbonized wood (CW) possesses an intrinsic hierarchical porous structure and mechanical strength, rendering it a promising self-supporting and binder-free electrode material for electroreduction CO 2 . However, the catalytic activity of CW is limited due to its low specific surface area and insufficient active sites. Herein, we propose an innovative pore-construction strategy to prepare N/P co-doped 3D network carbon skeleton electrode (NPCW) by impregnating polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), phytic acid (PA), and urea into wood tracheids derived from waste natural wood. This strategy not only boosts electroreduction of CO 2 to CO, providing a sustainable and renewable carbon source for the chemical industry, but also solves the accumulation issue of waste wood that aligns with the green and sustainable principles. The optimized NPCW exhibits high specific surface area (972.6 m 2 g −1 ) and active site density. As a result, NPCW exhibits a remarkable CO 2 capture capacity (4.3 mmol g −1 ), an excellent CO Faradaic efficiency (FE CO ) of 96.7%, and a CO partial current density of −28.7 mA cm −2 , while retaining an FE CO above 80% after 48 h operation. This study offers a green and sustainable strategy to convert waste wood into high-performance carbon electrodes, offering a scalable paradigm for next-generation sustainable electrocatalysts.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Industrial Crops and Products, 2026 · DOI ↗