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.