Tunable syngas generation via electrochemical CO2 reduction on oxide-derived Cu nanowire arrays

Oxide-derived Cu nanowire arrays were developed for electrochemical CO 2 reduction. • Cu nanowire arrays are capable of producing syngas with a wide range of H 2 /CO ratios. • The tunable selectivity of catalysts was attributed to the grain boundaries in Cu. Electrochemical reduction of CO 2 to value-added fuels and chemical feedstocks, such as syngas, stands as an appealing solution for energy and environmental sustainability. Currently, it suffers from a lack of catalysts with good activity and selectivity. Herein, we have synthesized a series of oxide-derived Cu nanowire arrays (NAs) as catalysts for electrochemical CO 2 reduction. Copper oxides NAs were first synthesized by thermal oxidation and then electrochemically reduced. By adjusting the annealing temperatures, the obtained Cu NAs are capable of reducing CO 2 and H 2 O to produce syngas with a wide range of H 2 /CO ratios (from 2.5:1 to 0.7:1) at a low overpotential. First-principles calculations confirmed that the enhancement of CO 2 reduction and suppression of hydrogen evolution were attributed to grain boundaries in the Cu NAs. This research demonstrates a promising strategy for the development of Cu-based catalysts in tunable syngas production. Download: Download high-res image (187KB) Download: Download full-size image