Publication Type
Journal
Journal Name
ChemistrySelect
Publication Date
Page Numbers
6055 to 6061
Volume
1
Issue
19
Abstract
Carbon dioxide is a pollutant, but also a potential carbon source provided an efficient means to convert it to useful products. Herein we report a nanostructured catalyst for the direct electrochemical reduction of dissolved CO2 to ethanol with high Faradaic efficiency (63%) and high selectivity (84%). The catalyst is comprised of Cu nanoparticle on a highly textured, N-doped graphene film. Detailed electrochemical analysis and complementary DFT calculations indicate a novel mechanism in which multiple active sites, working sequentially, control the coupling of carbon monoxide radicals and mediate the subsequent electrochemical reduction to alcohol.
