Ampere-Level Current Density CO₂ Reduction with High C₂₊ Selectivity on La(OH)₃-Modified Cu Catalysts

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis
• Materials Science

Background:

• Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO₂RR) converts CO₂ into high-value multi-carbon (C₂₊) products.
• Copper (Cu)-based catalysts show promise for CO₂RR but struggle with low C₂₊ selectivity at high current densities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance the selectivity and efficiency of CO₂RR to C₂₊ products at high current densities.
• To investigate the role of La(OH)₃ modification on Cu catalysts for CO₂RR.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of La(OH)₃/Cu catalyst.
• Electrochemical performance evaluation at high current densities (1,000 mA cm^-2).
• In situ spectroscopy and density functional theory (DFT) calculations to analyze catalyst mechanism.

Main Results:

• The La(OH)₃/Cu catalyst achieved a C₂₊ Faradaic efficiency (FE_C2+) of 71.2%, 2.2 times higher than pure Cu.
• The catalyst demonstrated stable performance for 8 hours at 1,000 mA cm^-2.
• La(OH)₃ modification was shown to favor *CO adsorption, hydrogenation, and *CO─*COH coupling, increasing C₂₊ selectivity.

Conclusions:

• La(OH)₃ modification effectively enhances Cu catalyst performance for CO₂RR to C₂₊ products.
• This approach enables efficient CO₂RR at industrially relevant ampere-level current densities.
• The findings provide a strategy for improving C₂₊ product formation and suppressing hydrogen evolution.