Selective CO2 Electroreduction to Ethylene and Multicarbon Alcohols via Electrolyte-Driven Nanostructuring

The production of multicarbon products (C2+) from CO2 electroreduction reaction (CO2RR) is highly desirable for storing renewable energy and reducing carbon emission. Here we report the electrochemical synthesis of CO2RR catalysts that are highly selective for C2+ products via electrolyte-driven nanostructuring. Nanostructured Cu catalysts synthesized in the presence of specific anions can selectively convert CO2 to ethylene and multicarbon alcohols in aqueous 0.1 M KHCO3 solution, with the iodine-modified catalyst displaying the highest Faradaic efficiency of ~80% and partial current density of ~34 mA cm−2 for C2+ products at −0.9 V vs RHE. Operando X-ray absorption spectroscopy and quasi in situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements revealed that the high C2+ selectivity of these nanostructured Cu catalysts can be mainly attributed to their nanoporous structure, presence of subsurface oxygen and Cu+ species, and the adsorbed halides. This work provides new insight into the parameters that should be tuned in order to rationally design C2+-selective CO2RR catalysts.