Highly Efficient Electrocatalytic CO₂ Reduction to C₂₊ Products on a Poly(ionic liquid)-Based Cu⁰ -Cu^I Tandem...

Area of Science:

• Catalysis
• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science

Background:

• CO2 electroreduction is crucial for sustainable chemical production.
• Existing copper catalysts often lack sufficient current density for industrial use.
• Polymer-modified catalysts show promise but require further optimization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design a highly selective and efficient catalyst for CO2 electroreduction to C2+ products.
• To achieve high partial current densities for industrial viability.
• To elucidate the catalytic mechanism of the designed system.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a poly(ionic liquid) (PIL)-based Cu0-CuI tandem catalyst.
• Electrochemical testing to evaluate C2+ product selectivity and partial current density.
• Mechanistic studies to understand the role of catalyst interfaces.

Main Results:

• Achieved 76.1% faradaic efficiency for C2+ products.
• Obtained a high partial current density of 304.2 mA cm-2.
• Identified Cu0-PIL and PIL-CuI interfaces as key active sites for high performance.

Conclusions:

• The PIL-based Cu0-CuI tandem catalyst significantly boosts CO2 electroreduction rates and C2+ selectivity.
• Highly dispersed Cu0-PIL-CuI interfaces are critical for tandem catalysis.
• The PIL layer facilitates C-C coupling by promoting *CO intermediate conversion.