Electrochemically Driven Formation of Sponge-Like Porous Silver Nanocubes Toward Efficient CO₂ Electroreduction to CO

Electrochemical conversion of CO₂ into valuable products by utilizing renewable electricity is a thriving research field. For electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to CO, uniform sponge-like porous Ag nanocubes (SPC-Ag) integrated on carbon paper are prepared by using an electrochemically driven method. The SPC-Ag has a 3 D porous structure and a large specific surface area, which affords abundant active sites for the CO₂ reduction reaction (CO₂ RR), as well as reducing impedance to accelerate the CO₂ RR kinetics. This distinctive organization affords SPC-Ag with outstanding electrocatalytic performance for CO₂ reduction to CO. High faradaic efficiency (>90 %) and large partial current density for CO with excellent durability are observed in a wide potential window, with a maximum value of 93 % at -0.9 V versus reversible hydrogen electrode.