Oxide Derived Copper for Electrochemical Reduction of CO to C Products.

The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO) on copper electrode derived from cupric oxide (CuO), named oxide derived copper (ODCu), was studied thoroughly in the potential range of -1.0 V to -1.5 V versus RHE. The CuO nanoparticles were prepared by the hydrothermal method. The ODCu electrode was used for carbon dioxide reduction and the results revealed that this electrode is highly selective for C products with enhanced current density at significantly less overpotential. This catalyst shifts the selectivity towards C products with the highest Faradaic efficiency up to 58% at -0.95 V. In addition, C product formation at the lowest onset potential of -0.1 V is achieved with the proposed catalyst. X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy revealed the reduction of CuO to Cu (111) nanoparticles during the CO RR. The intrinsic property of the synthesized catalyst and its surface reduction are suggested to induce sites or edges for facilitating the dimerization and coupling of intermediates to ethanol and ethylene.