Electrochemical CO2 reduction to ethylene by ultrathin CuO nanoplate arrays

Abstract

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to multi-carbon fuels and chemical feedstocks is an appealing approach to mitigate excessive CO2 emissions. However, the reported catalysts always show either a low Faradaic efficiency of the C2+ product or poor long-term stability. Herein, we report a facile and scalable anodic corrosion method to synthesize oxygen-rich ultrathin CuO nanoplate arrays, which form Cu/Cu2O heterogeneous interfaces through self-evolution during electrocatalysis. The catalyst exhibits a high C2H4 Faradaic efficiency of 84.5%, stable electrolysis for ~55 h in a flow cell using a neutral KCl electrolyte, and a full-cell ethylene energy efficiency of 27.6% at 200 mA cm−2 in a membrane electrode assembly electrolyzer. Mechanism analyses reveal that the stable nanostructures, stable Cu/Cu2O interfaces, and enhanced adsorption of the *OCCOH intermediate preserve selective and prolonged C2H4 production. The robust and scalable produced catalyst coupled with mild electrolytic conditions facilitates the practical application of electrochemical CO2 reduction.

In Situ Periodic Regeneration of Catalyst during CO2 Electroreduction to C2+ Products

“…After a 50 s CO 2 RR at E c =−1.2 V vs. RHE (ID‐Cu‐50), part of Cu 1+ species along with I − still existed, but the content was reduced significantly. Furthermore, there was no obvious difference for the Cu LMM Auger peaks of the ID‐Cu‐50 with different etching depths, suggesting that the quasi in situ XPS test method used in this work can effectively prevent the sample from being oxidized by air (Figure S12) [52] . In situ X‐ray emission spectroscopy (XES) and X‐ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) characterizations were carried out to further monitor the electronic structure of Cu.…”

Analysis of the impact of the energy industry on the environment

“…The energy industry includes human activities related to the production and consumption of energy [10]. A significant part of the energy sector accounts for the consumption of energy released by the combustion of organic fossil fuels (oil, coal and gas), which leads to the release of a huge amount of pollutants into the atmosphere [12].…”

“…But even 1% that remains has a very strong impact on the environment. A coal-fired power plant pollutes the air [12].…”

Revealing the Doping Effect of Cu2+ on SrSnO3 Perovskite Oxides for CO2 Electroreduction

“…Particularly, the Cu 2 + could convert to Cu 0 at the reduction voltage during the bulk electrolysis. [35] In addition, the energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) mappings of SrSnO 3 , 0.5 wt %-SS and 1 wt %-SS were shown in Figure 4. As can be seen from the Figure 4, all the elements in SrSnO 3 , 0.5 wt %-SS and 1 wt %-SS catalysts distributed uniformly.…”

“…Besides, the binding energy of Cu 2p 1/2 and Cu 2p 3/2 show that the surface of 0.5 wt %‐SS and 1 wt %‐SS were loaded with Cu 2+ , and the Cu 2+ could exist in the form of CuO due to the oxidation of O 2 from air. Particularly, the Cu 2+ could convert to Cu 0 at the reduction voltage during the bulk electrolysis [35] . In addition, the energy dispersive X‐ray (EDX) mappings of SrSnO 3 , 0.5 wt %‐SS and 1 wt %‐SS were shown in Figure 4.…”