Highly efficient and stable ethanol electrosynthesis from carbon dioxide at -250 mA cm^-2

Area of Science:

• Electrocatalysis
• Materials Science
• Chemical Engineering

Background:

• Electrocatalytic reduction of CO2 to ethanol is crucial for chemical production.
• Limited selectivity and catalyst instability hinder industrial application.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a stable and highly selective catalyst for CO2 electroreduction to ethanol.
• To overcome active site reconstruction issues in electrocatalysts.

Main Methods:

• Design of a CuAg@NTA catalyst system.
• Protection of catalytic active sites using nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA).
• Electrochemical evaluation of catalyst performance at industrial current densities.

Main Results:

• CuAg@NTA catalyst demonstrated low activation barriers for C-C coupling and hydrogenation.
• Achieved 87.21% ethanol faradaic efficiency at -218.03 mA cm⁻².
• Maintained over 70% efficiency after 300 hours at -250 mA cm⁻².

Conclusions:

• The CuAg@NTA catalyst offers superior selectivity and stability for CO2 electroreduction to ethanol.
• The NTA protection strategy effectively prevents active site reconstruction.
• This work provides a pathway for efficient industrial-scale CO2 conversion.