A Facile Strategy to Obtain Low-Cost and High-Performance Gold-Based Catalysts from Artificial Electronic Waste by [Zr 48 Ni 6 ] Nano-Cages in MOFs for CO 2 Electroreduction to CO.

Expensive gold-based catalysts are frequently used for electrochemical CO 2 reduction into CO. A feasible approach to obtain low-cost Au-based catalysts is needed. Herein, a novel framework 1 assembled from [Zr 48 Ni 6 ] nano-cages is prepared. It exhibits a high BET surface area of 1569 m 2  g -1 and high solvents/pH stability. 1 can not only selectively extract AuCl 4 - from artificial electronic waste, but can then be transformed into low-cost catalyst Au nanoparticle@1-x (Au NPs@1-x, x=1, 2, 3, 4) with tuneable Au NPs sizes. The CO 2 RR investigations revealed that the Au NPs@1-3 displayed an excellent FE CO of 95.2 % with a current density of 102.9 mA cm -2 at -1.1 V, and such high catalytic activity can be maintained for at least 15 h without obvious decrease because the confinement effect of [Zr 48 Ni 6 ] nano-cages prevents Au NPs agglomeration. This work offers a facile strategy to obtain low-cost and high-performance Au-based catalysts for various reactions activated by Au.