We shall present our recent results on the electrochemical and photoelectrochemical reduction of CO2 to CO, ethylene or propylene. Using the combination of a photovoltaic cell with an electrolyzer we achieved a solar to chemical energy conversion efficiency of over 20 % for the production of CO from CO2. We also performed, a comprehensive study to unravel the catalytic performance of Cu2O-derived and CuO-derived Cu towards CO2 electroreduction in a custom-designed flow reactor at various applied potentials. All three catalysts in 1 M KOH electrolyte delivered excellent selectivity towards C2+ products formation, with faradaic efficiency of &gt;70% and a maximum partial current density of ca. -250 mA cm-2. Our analysis shows that current density is a controlling factor for the activity of C-C coupling in electrochemical flow cell. By contrast, the formation of methane is likely to be determined by the applied potential. Nevertheless, the initial oxidation state and morphology are unlikely to be critical factors in controlling the formation of carbonaceous products in an electrochemical flow cell.

Electrochemical and photo-electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide to CO, ethylene and propylene

ACS Spring 2022

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