Controlling the C2+ product selectivity of electrochemical CO2 reduction on an electrosprayed Cu catalyst

Si Young Lee; Sang Youn Chae; Hyejin Jung; Chan Woo Lee; Dang Le Tri Nguyen; Hyung-Suk Oh; Byoung Koun Min; Yun Jeong Hwang

doi:10.1039/C9TA13173F

Controlling the C2+ product selectivity of electrochemical CO₂ reduction on an electrosprayed Cu catalyst†

Si Young Lee,

^ab Sang Youn Chae,^a Hyejin Jung,^ab Chan Woo Lee,

^ac Dang Le Tri Nguyen,

^abd Hyung-Suk Oh,

^ab Byoung Koun Min

^aef and Yun Jeong Hwang

*^abg

Author affiliations

* Corresponding authors

^a Clean Energy Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 5, Hwarang-ro 14-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
E-mail: yjhwang@kist.re.kr

^b Division of Energy and Environmental Technology, KIST School, Korea University of Science and Technology, Hwarang-ro 14 gil 5, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea

^c Department of Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul 02707, Republic of Korea

^d Institute of Research and Development, Duy Tan University, Da Nang 550000, Vietnam

^e National Research Agenda Division, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, 5, Hwarang-ro 14-gil, Seongbuk-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea

^f Green School, Korea University, 145, Anam-ro, Seonbuk-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea

^g Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, Yonsei-KIST Convergence Research Institute, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea

Abstract

Cu catalysts prepared by modifying bulk Cu foils have achieved high performance for value-added C2+ compounds from electrochemical CO₂ reduction (CO₂RR) but the transformation of active sites can be affected by the bulk substrate, which make it complex to design the catalyst. Herein, we newly introduce a simple electrospray pyrolysis method to take advantage of a facile wet-chemical synthesis applicable on non-copper substrates, such as a porous carbon paper, and demonstrate highly enhanced selectivity for C₂H₄ production from CO₂RR. The electrosprayed copper oxide on the carbon paper showed uniquely improved C2 selectivity compared with that on the copper substrate. The improved performance is proposed to be related to the presence of Cu mixed state and retention of morphology of the electrosprayed catalyst on the carbon paper, showing the importance of the substrate. In addition, the C2 product selectivity can be tuned by the electrospray synthesis time as it affects the size of the surface nanostructure as well as the porosity of the catalyst, which can provide an effective way to regulate the C2/C1 ratio.

This article is part of the themed collection: Journal of Materials Chemistry A Lunar New Year collection 2021

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Article information

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1039/C9TA13173F
Article type: Paper
Submitted: 02 Dec 2019
Accepted: 12 Feb 2020
First published: 12 Feb 2020

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J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020,8, 6210-6218

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Controlling the C2+ product selectivity of electrochemical CO₂ reduction on an electrosprayed Cu catalyst

S. Y. Lee, S. Y. Chae, H. Jung, C. W. Lee, D. L. T. Nguyen, H. Oh, B. K. Min and Y. J. Hwang, J. Mater. Chem. A, 2020, 8, 6210 DOI: 10.1039/C9TA13173F

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