Enhanced CO adsorption for electrochemical reduction of CO2 to multi-carbon products using Cu-enriched Cu3N films

Copper-based catalysts have been established as highly effective for facilitating the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (ECO 2 RR), particularly in the synthesis of multi-carbon (C 2+ ) compounds. However, issues of product selectivity and reaction stability persist, posing significant challenges in the context of high-current-density industrial applications. In this study, we introduce a Cu-enriched Cu 3 N composite catalyst, synthesized via a straightforward magnetron sputtering technique. This catalyst is capable of activating CO 2 and efficiently adsorbing CO, thereby enhancing the electrocatalytic performance for the targeted reactions. At a potential of −1.2 V vs. RHE, the Faradaic efficiency (FE) of the C 2+ product reaches the highest value of 80.39 % with the current density of 267.78 mA cm −2 . Remarkably, the precisely engineered catalyst architecture integrated with a metallic copper (Cu) protective layer demonstrates significantly enhanced ECO 2 RR stability, maintaining C 2+ FE above 79 % for over 10 h at 200 mA cm −2 current density. These results provide a feasible approach for designing and implementing efficient and stable ECO 2 RR catalysts to generate C 2+ products for industrial applications.