Highly dispersed Cu nanoparticles on ceria for enhanced ethylene selectivity during electrochemical reduction of CO2

Abstract

Electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ into high value-added products using renewable electricity is a promising carbon-neutral method to alleviate CO₂ emissions. However, selectively reducing CO₂ to ethylene with high energy density remains a big challenge. Synergistic effects at metal/metal oxide interfaces often give rise to high activity and selectivity. Herein, cerium oxide nanorods (CeO₂ NRs) loaded with highly dispersed Cu nanoparticles were synthesized and showed a high catalytic selectivity to ethylene. The faradaic efficiency of C₂H₄ reached 51.58% with a current density of 22 mA cm⁻² in an H-type electrolytic cell. Detailed studies suggested that the enhanced performance of Cu–CeO₂ NRs was attributed mainly to the strong interaction between Cu and CeO₂, which yielded highly effective active sites for electroreduction of CO₂ to ethylene.