Plasmon-Assisted Tandem Electrocatalysis for CO₂-to-C₂H₅OH Conversion

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrochemistry
• Catalysis

Background:

• Electrochemical CO2 reduction (ECO2RR) is crucial for sustainable chemical production.
• Developing efficient electrocatalysts for selective C2H5OH synthesis remains a challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To design and investigate a novel Ag@AgCu core@satellites electrocatalyst.
• To reveal the mechanism of plasmon-assisted tandem ECO2RR for selective C2H5OH production.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of Ag@AgCu core@satellites electrocatalyst.
• In situ spectral investigations.
• Theoretical calculations.
• Electrochemical performance testing under varying current densities and light irradiation.

Main Results:

• The core@satellites microstructure facilitates tandem ECO2RR at Ag and AgCu interfaces.
• Achieved 61.4% Faradaic efficiency (FE) for C2H5OH at -100 mA cm-2.
• Plasmon excitation under light enhanced C2H5OH selectivity to 65.5% FE at -280 mA cm-2.

Conclusions:

• The Ag@AgCu core@satellites catalyst enables efficient plasmon-assisted tandem ECO2RR.
• The catalyst demonstrates high selectivity for C2H5OH production at industrially relevant conditions.