1 research outputs found
Investigation and Mitigation of Carbon Deposition over Copper Catalyst during Electrochemical CO<sub>2</sub> Reduction
Copper (Cu) is considered to be the
most effective catalyst for
electrochemical conversion of carbon dioxide (CO2) into
value-added hydrocarbons, but its stability still faces considerable
challenge. Here, we report the poisoning effect of carbon deposition
during CO2 reduction on the active sites of Cu electrodea
critical deactivation factor that is often overlooked. We find that,
*C, an intermediate toward methane formation, could desorb on the
electrode surface to form carbon species. We reveal a strong correlation
between the formation of methane and the carbon deposition, and the
reaction conditions favoring methane production result in more carbon
deposition. The deposited carbon blocks the active sites and consequently
causes rapid deterioration of the catalytic performance. We further
demonstrate that the carbon deposition can be mitigated by increasing
the roughness of the electrode and increasing the pH of the electrolyte.
This work offers a new guidance for designing more stable catalysts
for CO2 reduction