Ampere-level CO2 reduction to multicarbon products over a copper gas penetration electrode

Abstract

Renewable energy-driven electrochemical CO₂ conversion to value-added chemicals is a prospective strategy for addressing both carbon emission and energy consumption. Although considerable progress has been made in CO₂ electroreduction, sustained production of multicarbon compounds at a high current density remains a challenge. Herein, we report a hierarchical micro/nanostructured Cu(100)-rich copper hollow fiber as a gas penetration electrode (GPE) that reduces CO₂ to C₂₊ products with a faradaic efficiency of 62.8% and a current density of 2.3 A cm⁻² in 0.5 M KHCO₃ solution at −1.94 V (vs. RHE), outperforming state-of-the-art Cu-based catalysts. Electrochemical results demonstrate that optimized mass transfer and an enhanced three-phase interface reaction synergistically promote CO₂ activation and reduction kinetics. Theoretical calculations further suggest that the Cu(100) facet of the Cu GPE favors CO* intermediate adsorption and then facilitates C–C coupling, resulting in selective C₂₊ product formation. This work provides an attractive avenue to achieve industrial current densities to produce multicarbon products via rational electrode designs.