Abstract

Electrochemical CO₂ reduction (ECR) powered by renewable electricity is reckoned to provide an effective strategy to alleviate environmental issues and energy crisis, enabling a potential carbon neutral economy. To boost the ECR to fuels and value-added chemicals, the design of highly active and selective catalysts is important. In this study, we demonstrate facile ultrasonication-facilitated synthesis of two-dimensional copper terephthalate for efficient ECR. High faradaic efficiencies (FEs) of up to 72.9% for hydrocarbons are achieved at a mild overpotential in an H-type cell. In particular, the FE for ethylene (C₂H₄) formation approaches 50.0% at an applied potential of −1.1 V (vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode), outperforming commercial Cu, Cu₂O, CuO, Cu(OH)₂ and many recently reported Cu-based materials. The C₂H₄ partial geometric current density is as high as ∼6.0 mA·cm⁻². This work offers a simple avenue to developing advanced electrocatalysts for converting CO₂ into high-value hydrocarbons.

摘要

由可再生电力驱动的电化学 CO ₂还原 (ECR) 被认为是缓解环境问题和能源危机的有效策略，从而实现潜在的碳中和经济。为了提高燃料和高附加值化学品的 ECR，高活性和选择性催化剂的设计很重要。在这项研究中，我们展示了二维对苯二甲酸铜的简便超声促进合成，以实现高效的 ECR。在 H 型电池中，在轻度过电位下可实现高达 72.9% 的碳氢化合物的高法拉第效率 (FE)。特别是，乙烯 (C ₂ H ₄ ) 形成的 FE在 -1.1 V（相对于可逆氢电极）的施加电位下接近 50.0%，优于商业 Cu、Cu₂ O、CuO、Cu(OH) ₂和许多最近报道的基于铜的材料。C ₂ H ₄部分几何电流密度高达～6.0 mA·cm ^-2。这项工作为开发用于将 CO ₂转化为高价值碳氢化合物的先进电催化剂提供了一种简单的途径。