Copper Nanocubes for CO2 Reduction in Gas Diffusion Electrodes

Published

October 31, 2019

Author(s)

Yuxuan Wang, Hao Shen, Ken J. Livi, David Raciti, Han Zong, John Gregg, Mofopefoluwa Onadeko, Yidong Wang, Adam Watson, Chao Wang

Abstract

Electroreduction of CO2 represents a promising solution for addressing the global challenges in energy and sustainability. The reaction is highly sensitive to the surface structure of electrocatalysts and the local electrochemical environment. We have investigated the effect of Cu nanoparticle shape on the electrocatalysis of CO2 reduction by using gas-diffusion electrodes (GDEs) and flowing alkaline catholytes. Cu nanocubes of 70 nm in edge length are synthesized with 100} facets preferentially exposed on the surface. They are demonstrated to possess substantially enhanced catalytic activity and selectivity for CO2 reduction as compared to Cu nanospheres of similar particle sizes, with the electrocatalytic performance further found to be dependent on the concentration of electrolyte (KOH). The Cu nanocubes reach a Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 61% and a partial current density of 140 mA/cm2 toward ethylene (C2H4) production, with the catalytic enhancement attributable to a combination of surface structure and electrolyte alkalinity effects.

Citation

Nano Letters

Volume

19

Pub Type

Journals

Keywords

CO2 reduction, copper electrocatalysts, shape, gas diffusion electrode, ethylene

Citation

Wang, Y. , Shen, H. , Livi, K. , Raciti, D. , Zong, H. , Gregg, J. , Onadeko, M. , Wang, Y. , Watson, A. and Wang, C. (2019), Copper Nanocubes for CO2 Reduction in Gas Diffusion Electrodes, Nano Letters (Accessed October 10, 2025)