Integration of Cobalt Phthalocyanine, Acetylene Black and Cu2O Nanocubes for Efficient Electroreduction of CO2 to C2H4

Graphical A tandem catalyst, Cu 2 O NCs-C-Copc, consisting of acetylene black, cobalt phthalocyanine (Copc) and Cu 2 O nanocubes was developed for efficient converting of CO 2 to C 2 H 4 . We propose the Cu 2 O NCs-C-Copc mechanism suppressing side reactions and simultaneously enriching CO. Here, we report faradaic efficiencies of C 2 H 4 formation of up to 58.42 % at −1.1 V vs. RHE in 0.1 M KHCO 3 and 70.31 % at −0.76 V vs. RHE in 1.0 M KOH. Suppressing side reactions and simultaneously enriching key intermediates during CO 2 reduction reaction (CO 2 RR) has been a challenge. Here, we propose a tandem catalyst (Cu 2 O NCs-C-Copc) consisting of acetylene black, cobalt phthalocyanine (Copc) and cuprous oxide nanocubes (Cu 2 O NCs) for efficient CO 2 -to-ethylene conversion. Density-functional theory (DFT) calculation combined with experimental verification demonstrated that Copc can provide abundant CO to nearby copper sites while acetylene black successfully reduces the formation energies of key intermediates, leading to enhanced C 2 H 4 selectivity. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and potentiostatic tests indicated that the catalytic stability of Cu 2 O NCs-C-Copc was significantly enhanced compared with Cu 2 O NCs. Finally, the industrial application prospect of the catalyst was evaluated using gas diffusion electrolyzers. The of Cu 2 O NCs-C-Copc can reach to 58.4 % at −1.1 V vs. RHE in 0.1 M KHCO 3 and 70.3 % at −0.76 V vs. RHE in 1.0 M KOH. This study sheds new light on the design and development of highly efficient CO 2 RR tandem catalytic systems.