When: March 12, 15:00

Design of Cu oxide electrocatalysts for CO2 reduction reaction

The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2RR) into valuable fuels and chemicals is a potential approach for reducing greenhouse gas emissions while facilitating renewable energy storage. Among the various electrocatalysts studied for this purpose, copper oxide (CuxO) systems have proven to be exceptionally versatile materials since they facilitate C—C coupling and generate not only C1 products (e.g., CO and CH4), but also C2 products, such as ethylene (C2H4), ethanol (C2H5OH), etc., which are typically difficult to obtain with most monometallic catalysts.
The aim of this study is to perform a systematic design of nanostructured CuxO electrocatalysts with optimized morphology. Co-precipitation, hydrothermal, and flame spray pyrolysis synthesis routes have been investigated as synthesis methods to design the Cu oxides, primarily CuO and Cu2O. Different synthesis parameters were modified during every synthesis, thus obtaining catalysts characterized by having different morphologies and consequently exposing different crystal planes (Fig. 1). To monitor the effect of synthesis parameters, electrocatalysts were preliminarily characterized by employing structural (X-ray diffraction) and morphological (scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy) methods.
Moreover, the most promising systems were evaluated for the electrocatalytic CO2RR through a set of electrochemical experiments, evidencing considerable enhancements in current density and stability. Experimental results revealed that the selectivity (expressed as Faradic efficiency) of these systems is governed by both the morphology and chemistry of the electrocatalysts, with a predominance of conversion toward either CO or C2H4. The behavior of the synthesized catalysts was comprehensively analyzed, revealing a clear path to the development of scalable, robust systems that can be potentially suitable for industrial-scale CO2RR applications.