Electroreduction
of CO2 became an important topic recently
because it can reduce the atmospheric CO2 levels and simultaneously
synthesize chemical fuels. However, efficient conversion of CO2 to produce fuels remains a challenge because a proper electrocatalyst
is needed to make this CO2 reduction process more selective
and efficient. In this study, we prepared nanostructured tungstate-derived
copper to test its application in CO2 reduction. The prepared
copper tungstate (CuWO4) nanomaterials were first characterized
by analytical techniques such as transmission electron microscopy,
X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy to determine
the particle size, crystallinity, purity, and composition. Then, the
CuWO4 nanomaterials were further investigated in an aqueous
solution containing 0.1 M NaOH by electrochemical cyclic voltammetry
(CV) and linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) techniques. The CO2 electroreduction experiments were carried out in 0.1 M NaOH with
the presence of CO2, and the analysis of electrochemical
results shows that nanostructured CuWO4 performs better
in comparison with CuOa well-known electrocatalyst for reducing
CO2 to nongaseous carbon-containing products such as alcoholsbecause
of poisoning effects of adsorbed CO2 or its adsorbed–reduced
intermediates on hydrogen evolution reaction. Our results also show
that CO2-reduction intermediates adsorbed strongly on the
surface of CuWO4, which increases the overpotential for
hydrogen evolution reaction on the surface of CuWO4 by
as much as 230 mV against the 70 mV for CuO, at a current density
of 0.8 mA cm–2.
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