Promoting electrocatalytic carbon monoxide reduction to ethylene on copper-polypyrrole interface

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Catalysis

Background:

• Electrochemical reduction of carbon monoxide (CO) is crucial for decarbonizing chemical manufacturing.
• Developing efficient electrocatalysts is key to utilizing renewable energy for CO conversion.
• Hybrid interfaces can stabilize reaction intermediates, enhancing catalyst performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel copper nanoparticle/polypyrrole (Cu-Ppy) nanowire composite as an electrocatalyst for CO reduction.
• To investigate the effect of the hybrid interface on CO electroreduction activity and selectivity.
• To understand the mechanism of enhanced ethylene (C2H4) production.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of Cu-Ppy nanowire composite electrocatalyst.
• Electrochemical CO reduction reaction measurements in KOH electrolyte.
• Density functional theory (DFT) calculations to study CO binding and intermediate stabilization.

Main Results:

• Cu-Ppy composite showed significantly enhanced Faradaic efficiency for CO to C2H4 conversion (69% vs. 34% for pure Cu at -0.78 V vs. RHE).
• Achieved high C2H4 partial current density of 276 mA·cm-2 at -1.18 V vs. RHE.
• DFT calculations revealed stronger CO binding and stabilization of the OCCO* intermediate on Cu-Ppy.

Conclusions:

• The Cu-Ppy hybrid interface effectively enhances CO electroreduction to C2H4.
• Stabilization of key intermediates is critical for improving catalyst activity and selectivity.
• Rational design of hybrid interfaces offers a promising strategy for advanced electrocatalyst development.