Electrochemically Driven Formation of Sponge-Like Porous Silver Nanocubes Toward Efficient CO2 Electroreduction to CO.

Abstract

Electrochemical conversion of CO2 into valuable products by utilizing renewable electricity is a thriving research field. For electrochemical reduction of CO2 to CO, uniform sponge-like porous Ag nanocubes (SPC-Ag) integrated on carbon paper are prepared by using an electrochemically driven method. The SPC-Ag has a 3 D porous structure and a large specific surface area, which affords abundant active sites for the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2 RR), as well as reducing impedance to accelerate the CO2 RR kinetics. This distinctive organization affords SPC-Ag with outstanding electrocatalytic performance for CO2 reduction to CO. High faradaic efficiency (>90 %) and large partial current density for CO with excellent durability are observed in a wide potential window, with a maximum value of 93 % at -0.9 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode.