Electrochemical Production of Formic Acid from CO with Cetyltrimethylammonium Bromide-Assisted Copper-Based Catalysts.

The electrochemical reduction of CO (ERC) to valuable chemicals has attracted extensive attention. However, the relatively low selectivity and efficiency of the reaction remain challenges. In this study, Cu electrodes derived from Cu O with predominant (111) facets are synthesized by cetyltrimethylammonium bromide-assisted preparation. The optimized electrode shows a high faradaic efficiency of 90 % for HCOOH obtained by ERC at -2.0 V (vs.SCE), which surpasses most reported Cu electrodes. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the relationship between the catalytic activity and the thickness of the Cu O layer, the catalytic activity of the unit active site on the Cu O-derived Cu electrodes is found to be higher than that on the blank Cu electrode. DFT calculations indicate that OCHO* would be produced preferentially over *COOH in the presence of cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB). This deduction is verified by testing of the effects of CTAB and KBr addition on HCOO selectivity.