Significant role of reconstructed character on CuO-derived catalyst for enhanced electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to multicarbon products

Abstract

• The reconstructed nanoparticles of the catalyst can significantly facilitate the CO 2 reduction to C 2 products. • The Cu + and iodine ions can realize an effective suppression of HER. • The stability of plentiful Cu + is realized even at a negative potential. Developing high efficient electrocatalysts for converting CO 2 to value-added chemicals and fuels, especially multicarbon products with higher energy density, has been intensively pursued for in electrochemical CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) progress. Here, mesoporous CuO nanostructures were obtained by a two-step synthetic method and used as the catalyst for CO 2 RR with the presence of iodine anions. At -1.0 V υs. RHE in 1.0 M KI, the total Faradaic efficiency (FE) of C 2 reduction products approaches the maximum of nearly 60%. Our controlled experimental results reveal that the reconstructed small crystalline CuI nanoparticles play significant roles in promoting the selectivity towards C 2 products, which was attributed to the stabilization of Cu + by I − anion and exposure of abundant unsaturated coordinated sites of Cu + on the reconstructed surface. Our findings provide a new insight on the crucial role of surface reconstruction for the high FE of C 2 products. Reconstructed small crystalline CuI nanoparticles, derived from mesoporous CuO nanoparticles in CO 2 RR process, exhibit an improved performance toward C 2 reduction products as a result of synergetic effect between Cu + and I − anion.