CeOx-Assisted Cu2O-Based Hybrid Nanocatalysts for CO2 Electroreduction to C2+ Products

Electroreduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) to produce multicarbon products (C2+) holds immense potential for reducing carbon emissions and realizing high-valued CO2 utilization. However, the development of efficient catalysts still remains challenging. Cuprous oxide (Cu2O) has been identified as a promising candidate, yet its C2+ selectivity and stability require further improvement. In this study, we, for the first time, blended Cu2O with cerium oxide (CeOx) nanoparticles, forming a Cu2O/CeOx hybrid catalyst which greatly enhanced the selectivity and durability for C2+ production. The optimized catalyst achieved a remarkable carbon product Faradaic efficiency (FE) of 79.6% and a C2+ product FE of 58% (±2.4%) in an H-type electrolytic cell. Our findings provide a novel strategy for significantly improving the selectivity, efficiency, and catalyst stability of CO2 electroreduction.