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1. Carbon‐Supported Single Metal Site Catalysts for Electrochemical CO ₂ Reduction to CO and Beyond

   https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202005148  

   Zhu, Yuanzhi; Yang, Xiaoxuan; Peng, Cheng; Priest, Cameron; Mei, Yi; Wu, Gang (April 2021, Small)

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2. Acclimation of Photosynthesis to CO ₂ Increases Ecosystem Carbon Storage due to Leaf Nitrogen Savings

   https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17558  

   Smith, Nicholas G; Zhu, Qing; Keenan, Trevor F; Riley, William J (November 2024, Global Change Biology)

   ABSTRACT Photosynthesis is the largest flux of carbon between the atmosphere and Earth's surface and is driven by enzymes that require nitrogen, namely, ribulose‐1,5‐bisphosphate (RuBisCO). Thus, photosynthesis is a key link between the terrestrial carbon and nitrogen cycle, and the representation of this link is critical for coupled carbon‐nitrogen land surface models. Models and observations suggest that soil nitrogen availability can limit plant productivity increases under elevated CO₂. Plants acclimate to elevated CO₂by downregulating RuBisCO and thus nitrogen in leaves, but this acclimation response is not currently included in land surface models. Acclimation of photosynthesis to CO₂can be simulated by the photosynthetic optimality theory in a way that matches observations. Here, we incorporated this theory into the land surface component of the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (ELM). We simulated land surface carbon and nitrogen processes under future elevated CO₂conditions to 2100 using the RCP8.5 high emission scenario. Our simulations showed that when photosynthetic acclimation is considered, photosynthesis increases under future conditions, but maximum RuBisCO carboxylation and thus photosynthetic nitrogen demand decline. We analyzed two simulations that differed as to whether the saved nitrogen could be used in other parts of the plant. The allocation of saved leaf nitrogen to other parts of the plant led to (1) a direct alleviation of plant nitrogen limitation through reduced leaf nitrogen requirements and (2) an indirect reduction in plant nitrogen limitation through an enhancement of root growth that led to increased plant nitrogen uptake. As a result, reallocation of saved leaf nitrogen increased ecosystem carbon stocks by 50.3% in 2100 as compared to a simulation without reallocation of saved leaf nitrogen. These results suggest that land surface models may overestimate future ecosystem nitrogen limitation if they do not incorporate leaf nitrogen savings resulting from photosynthetic acclimation to elevated CO₂. 

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3. Hyperselective carbon membranes for precise high-temperature H₂ and CO₂ separation

   https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adt7512  

   Iyer, Gaurav M; Ku, Ching-En; Zhang, Chen (June 2025, Science Advances)

   More than 90% of the world’s hydrogen (H₂) is produced from fossil fuel sources, which requires energy-intensive separation and purification to produce high-purity H₂fuel and to capture the carbon dioxide (CO₂) by-product. While membranes can decarbonize H₂/CO₂separation, their moderate H₂/CO₂selectivity requires secondary H₂purification by pressure swing adsorption. Here, we report hyperselective carbon molecular sieve hollow fiber membranes showing H₂/CO₂selectivity exceeding 7000 under mixture permeation at 150°C, which is almost 30 times higher than the most selective nonmetallic membrane reported in the literature. The membrane is able to maintain an ultrahigh H₂/CO₂selectivity over 1400 under mixture permeation at 400°C. Pore structure characterization suggests that highly refined ultramicropores are responsible for effectively discriminating the closely sized H₂and CO₂molecules in the hyperselective carbon molecular sieve membrane. Modeling shows that the unprecedented H₂/CO₂selectivity will potentially allow one-step enrichment of fuel-grade H₂from shifted syngas for decarbonized H₂production. 

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4. Formation of CO ₂ Hydrates within Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes at Ambient Pressure: CO ₂ Capture and Selective Separation of a CO ₂ /H ₂ Mixture in Water

   https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.7b12700  

   Zhao, Wenhui; Bai, Jaeil; Francisco, Joseph S.; Zeng, Xiao Cheng (April 2018, The Journal of Physical Chemistry C)
5. Carbon Catalysts for Electrochemical CO ₂ Reduction toward Multicarbon Products

   https://doi.org/10.1002/aenm.202200586  

   Pan, Fuping; Yang, Xiaoxuan; O'Carroll, Thomas; Li, Haoyang; Chen, Kai‐Jie; Wu, Gang (May 2022, Advanced Energy Materials)

   Abstract Electrochemical CO₂reduction offers a compelling route to mitigate atmospheric CO₂concentration and store intermittent renewable energy in chemical bonds. Beyond C₁, C₂₊feedstocks are more desirable due to their higher energy density and more significant market need. However, the CO₂‐to‐C₂₊reduction suffers from significant barriers of CC coupling and complex reaction pathways. Due to remarkable tunability over morphology/pore architecture along with great feasibility of functionalization to modify the electronic and geometric structures, carbon materials, serving as active components, supports, and promoters, provide exciting opportunities to tune both the adsorption properties of intermediates and the local reaction environment for the CO₂reduction, offering effective solutions to enable CC coupling and steer C₂₊evolution. However, general design principles remain ambiguous, causing an impediment to rational catalyst refinement and application thrusts. This review clarifies insightful design principles for advancing carbon materials. First, the current performance status and challenges are discussed and effective strategies are outlined to promote C₂₊evolution. Further, the correlation between the composition, structure, and morphology of carbon catalysts and their catalytic behavior is elucidated to establish catalytic mechanisms and critical factors determining C₂₊performance. Finally, future research directions and strategies are envisioned to inspire revolutionary advancements. 

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