Selective reduction of CO2 to a reusable form of carbon is an important step to realize an energy-sustainable society. Here we report a strategy to prepare a composite catalyst for highly efficient electrochemical reduction of CO2. The composite catalyst is made of Au nanoparticles (NPs) and Cu nanowires (NWs) with Au NPs anchored on Cu NWs via bipyridine (bipy). The Au-bipy-Cu catalyzes the electrochemical reduction of CO2 into carbon products in 0.1 M KHCO3 solution with the total Faradaic efficiency (FE) reaching 90.6% at -0.9 V. The reduction yields C2-products of ethylene, acetate and acetaldehyde with a combined FE of 51.3% among which acetaldehyde selectivity reaches 75%. The enhanced CO2 reduction catalysis demonstrated by the Au-bipy-Cu originates from its synergistic effect of Au catalysis of CO2 to CO and Cu catalysis of CO coupling and hydrogenation. The Au-bipy-Cu represents a new catalyst system for CO2 reduction and its catalytic selectivity can be tuned from CO to hydrocarbons, and further to oxygenated-hydrocarbons depending on the Au/Cu mass ratios controlled in the composite structure.

Assembly of Au nanoparticles on Cu nanowires to tune CO2 reduction product from CO, C2H4 to CH3CHO

2019 Fall National Meeting

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