Selective, Stable Production of Ethylene Using a Pulsed Cu-Based Electrode

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Catalysis

Background:

• Ethylene (C2H4) is a key industrial chemical produced via carbon dioxide electroreduction (CO2RR).
• Achieving high selectivity and stability in Cu-based catalysts for C2H4 production in CO2RR remains a significant challenge.
• Current CO2RR technologies are hampered by the lack of durable electrocatalysts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a facile and scalable method for synthesizing stable copper electrocatalysts for CO2RR.
• To enhance the selectivity and durability of copper-based catalysts for ethylene production.
• To investigate the relationship between catalyst properties and C2H4 selectivity.

Main Methods:

• A novel electrochemical pulsed potential treatment was employed to deposit a Cu2O layer on Cu foil.
• The synthesized pulsed copper foil (P-Cu) was tested for CO2RR performance.
• The C2H4 selectivity was quantitatively correlated with the roughness factor (RF) of the catalysts.

Main Results:

• The P-Cu electrode achieved a C2H4 faradaic efficiency of approximately 50% at -1.0 V vs. RHE.
• A quantitative correlation was established between the roughness factor (RF) and C2H4 selectivity.
• The P-Cu electrode demonstrated unprecedented durability, maintaining C2H4 production for over 6 months.

Conclusions:

• The developed electrochemical pulsed potential treatment offers a scalable route to stable Cu-based electrocatalysts.
• P-Cu electrodes exhibit promising performance for selective and durable ethylene production via CO2RR.
• This work addresses the critical need for stable electrocatalysts in CO2 conversion technologies.