β-Cobalt phthalocyanine sono-immobilized on carbon cloth for efficient electrochemical reduction of CO2-to-CO

Abstract

• CoPC was successfully immobilized on carbon cloth using assisted sonodeposition. • CoPc-CC electrode production reached 96% at −0.9 V vs. RHE for CO2-to-CO. • CoPc-CC catalyst retains its selectivity without no sign of degradation. • Heterogenizing molecular catalysts through sonodeposition is an effective way for robust electrodes. CO 2 reduction to carbon neutral fuels requires selective and well-designed catalysts. Herein, we report the cobalt phthalocyanine on carbon cloth (CoPc/CC) for CO 2 -to-CO electroreduction in water (pH = 7.2). The CoPc was immobilized using sono-deposition method. The sono-immobilized CoPc (noted sono-CoPc/CC) exhibited a high selectivity for CO production over a wide range of potentials from −0.5 to −0.9 V vs. RHE. Interestingly, The CO faradaic efficiency is over 80 % in the studied potentials range. The conversion efficiency to CO production reached 96% at −0.9 V. The CoPc/CC catalyst retains its selectivity without no sign of degradation for 10 h of electrolysis. This paper gives a new trend to heterogenized molecular catalysts on carbon supports.