Electroreduction of carbon dioxide to multi-electron reduction products using poly(ionic liquid)-based Cu-Pd...

Area of Science:

• Electrochemistry
• Materials Science
• Catalysis

Background:

• Electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2RR) to multi-electron products is crucial for sustainable fuel and chemical synthesis.
• Enhancing CO2RR performance often involves modifying copper-based catalysts with a second metal element to manage key intermediates.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel bimetallic electrocatalyst for improved CO2RR performance.
• To investigate the potential-dependent selectivity of the catalyst for different CO2 reduction products.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of a poly(ionic liquid)-based copper-palladium hybrid electrocatalyst (Cu@PIL@Pd).
• Electrocatalytic evaluation of CO2 reduction performance, including Faradaic efficiency and partial current density.
• Mechanistic studies to elucidate the role of copper and palladium in the catalytic process.

Main Results:

• The Cu@PIL@Pd catalyst achieved high Faradaic efficiency (68.7%) for C2+ products at -1.01 V and high selectivity for CH4 (42.5%) at -1.24 V.
• A low palladium dosage (2.0 mol%) significantly enhanced catalytic performance, demonstrating potential-dependent selectivity.
• Mechanistic studies indicated that palladium promotes CO generation, while the poly(ionic liquid) layer facilitates CO spillover to copper sites, boosting CO2RR.

Conclusions:

• The developed Cu@PIL@Pd bimetallic electrocatalyst offers a promising strategy for efficient and selective CO2 reduction.
• The synergistic interaction between copper and palladium, along with the unique properties of the poly(ionic liquid) support, is key to the enhanced catalytic activity and selectivity.