Electrochemical Deposition of Cu/Cu2O Nanostructures for Enhanced CO2 Reduction Reaction

TL;DR

Researchers created a Cu/Cu2O nanocomposite that efficiently converts CO2 into ethene using electrochemical methods.

Contribution

A novel dendritic Cu/Cu2O nanocomposite was developed for enhanced CO2 reduction to ethene with high Faradaic efficiency.

Findings

The Cu/Cu2O electrocatalyst achieved 85.63% Faradaic efficiency for CO2 reduction to ethene.

The catalyst showed 62.08% selectivity for C2 products at −0.97 V versus RHE.

Synergistic effects between Cu+ and Cu0 improved electron transfer and CO2 adsorption.

Abstract

We synthesized a dendritic-like Cu/Cu2O nanocomposite
using a facile electrochemical deposition method on functionalized
carbon cloth. The morphology of the electrocatalyst was characterized
by using techniques such as scanning electron microscopy and transmission
electron microscopy, which revealed the formation of a dendritic nanocomposite.
The phase and surface composition were analyzed by X-ray diffraction
and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Similarly, electrochemical properties
were also studied using cyclic voltammetry and linear sweep voltammetry.
The results demonstrated that the electrocatalyst exhibited excellent
performance in the electrochemical reduction of CO2 to
ethene. Specifically, the Faradaic efficiency (FE) at a shorter deposition
time (250 s) reached 85.63%, with 62.08% for C2 products, at a current
density of 63.57 mA/cm2 at −0.97 V versus RHE in
H-type cells. The electrochemically active surface area was calculated
to be 41.95 cm2. The enhanced catalytic activity was attributed
to the synergistic effects between Cu+ and Cu0, which increased the number of active sites, facilitated faster
electron transfer, and improved CO2 adsorption capacity.

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