Highly active and stable stepped Cu surface for enhanced electrochemical CO2 reduction to C2H4

Abstract

Electrochemical CO2 reduction to value-added chemical feedstocks is of considerable interest for renewable energy storage and renewable source generation while mitigating CO2 emissions from human activity. Copper represents an effective catalyst in reducing CO2 to hydrocarbons or oxygenates, but it is often plagued by a low product selectivity and limited long-term stability. Here we report that copper nanowires with rich surface steps exhibit a remarkably high Faradaic efficiency for C2H4 that can be maintained for over 200 hours. Computational studies reveal that these steps are thermodynamically favoured compared with Cu(100) surface under the operating conditions and the stepped surface favours C2 products by suppressing the C1 pathway and hydrogen production. The electrochemical reduction of CO2 to value-added fuels and feedstocks has recently received a great deal of attention. Here, Cu nanowires that display rich surface steps are reported to sustain C2H4 production from CO2 with a remarkably high Faradaic efficiency for 200 hours.