Cubic Cu2O on nitrogen-doped carbon shells for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction to C2H4

Electroreduction of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) to ethylene (C 2 H 4 ) is one of the most feasible approaches to reduce the carbon emissions and enhance carbon dioxide utilization , whereas the lack of efficient catalysts impedes the scale application. Cuprous oxide (Cu 2 O) is a promising catalyst for the formation of C 2 H 4 but with unsatisfied selectivity and stability. Herein, we prepared Cu 2 O/nitrogen-doped carbon shell (Cu 2 O/NCS) composite and employed it in the production of C 2 H 4 from CO 2 electroreduction. The ultra-thin NCS with graphene-like structure was prepared from petroleum asphalt by template method . The cubic Cu 2 O nanocrystals are uniformly dispersed on the surface of NCS with ca. 150 nm diameters. Cu 2 O/NCS loaded on glass carbon electrode showed a high faradaic efficiency of C 2 H 4 (24.7%) at −1.3 V ( vs . reversible hydrogen electrode) as well as remarkable stability. The excellent performance of Cu 2 O/NCS is attributed to the high dispersion of cubic Cu 2 O nanocrystals and the abundant pyridinic-N moieties in NCS. This work provides a new strategy to improve the selectivity and durability of Cu 2 O for production C 2 H 4 from electrocatalytic CO 2 reduction by fabricating composites with nitrogen-doped carbon materials.