{
  "abstract": "Metal-nitrogen-carbon (M-N x -C) catalysts are a versatile platform for electrochemical CO 2 reduction catalysis, yet the limited durability of Fe-containing active sites at industrially relevant current densities remains an obstacle. Here we report a synthesis strategy that selectively incorporates sulfur into the coordination environment of atomically dispersed iron centers within a dual-metal Fe-S y /Ni-N x -C catalyst, yielding sulfur rich coordinated Fe active sites, represented by a Fe-S 5 model, alongside predominantly Ni-N x coordinated active sites. Beyond modifying the coordination structure, sulfur incorporation is correlated with higher nitrogen retention and suppressed formation of metal-containing clusters during catalyst synthesis, increasing the abundance of atomically dispersed metal active centers. Operando and ex situ spectroscopic analyses reveal that sulfur coordination stabilizes iron active sites during CO 2 electrolysis in a membrane electrode assembly, mitigating degradation processes that have historically limited durability. The catalyst delivers near-unity CO selectivity and an energy efficiency of 44% at a current density of 500 mA cm -2 , surpassing the performance of state-of-the-art CO 2 to CO catalysts. These findings demonstrate how sulfur coordination can stabilize atomically dispersed iron active sites and establishes a more broadly applicable strategy for designing durable catalysts.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [
    "Department of Chemical Engineering",
    "McMaster University",
    "Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering",
    "University of Toronto",
    "Canadian Light Source Inc.",
    "University of Saskatchewan",
    "Department of Chemistry"
  ],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 15,
  "authors": [
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Rem Jalab"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Reza Eslami"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Siddhant Singh"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Navid Noor"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Zahra Teimouri"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Robert Ngunjiri"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1,
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Shayan Angizi"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Shunquan Tan"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Mahtab Masouminia"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Kholoud Abousalem"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Chenyu Li"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        2,
        3
      ],
      "name": "Ashkan Irannezhad"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        4,
        5
      ],
      "name": "Graham King"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        6,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Adam Hitchcook"
    },
    {
      "affs": [
        0,
        1
      ],
      "name": "Drew Higgins",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0585-2670"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d61q2w0d06mbb.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.26434/chemrxiv.15010911/v1",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "d61q2w0d06mbb",
  "issns": [],
  "landing_url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010911/v1",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY",
  "licence_label": "CC BY",
  "licence_source": "journal",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "2105|CO2 Reduction Techniques and Catalysts"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7223302809",
  "pdf_url": null,
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-22",
  "publisher": "American Chemical Society (ACS)",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d61q2w0d06mbb.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:26Z",
      "native_id": "10.26434/chemrxiv.15010911",
      "source": "chemrxiv",
      "url": "https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15010911/v1"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "chemistry",
      "origin": "source:chemrxiv",
      "subfield": "general"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Sulfur-Coordinated Iron Overcomes Stability Limitations in Atomically Dispersed Metal-Nitrogen-Carbon Catalysts for CO ₂ Electrolysis",
  "title_text": "Sulfur-Coordinated Iron Overcomes Stability Limitations in Atomically Dispersed Metal-Nitrogen-Carbon Catalysts for CO ₂ Electrolysis",
  "type": "preprint",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:26Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/d61q2w0d06mbb",
  "venue": "ChemRxiv",
  "versions": []
}