Performance enhancement and active sites identification of Cu-Cd bimetallic oxide derived catalysts for electrochemical CO_(2) reduction

The development of earth-abundant electrocatalysts with high performance for electrochemical CO_(2)reduction(ECR)is of great significance.Cu-based catalysts have been widely investigated for ECR due to their unique ability to generate various carbonaceous products,but directing selectivity toward one certain product and identifying the real active sites during ECR are still full of challenge.Here,after the incorporation of CdO into CuO,the Cu_(0.5)Cd_(0.5)-O catalyst achieves a 10.3-fold enhancement for CO selectivity in comparison with CuO,and a CO faradic efficiency nearly 90%with a current density around20 mA cm^(-2)could maintain at least 60 h.Interestingly,a wide CO/H_(2)ratio(0.07-10)is reached on Cu_(x)Cd_(1-x)-O catalysts by varying the Cu/Cd ratio,demonstrating the potential of syngas production using such catalysts.The results of ex situ XRD,XPS,and in situ Raman reveal that the real active sites of Cu_(0.5)Cd_(0.5)-O catalysts for CO production during ECR reaction are the reconstructed mixed phases of CuCd alloy and CdCO_(3).In situ FTIR and theoretical calculations further implicate the presence of Cd related species promotes the CO desorption and inhibits the H_(2)evolution,thus leading to an enhanced CO generation.

In-situ constructing Cu_(1)Bi_(1)bimetallic catalyst to promote the electroreduction of CO_(2)to formate by synergistic electronic and geometric effects

Electrochemical CO_(2)reduction to formate is a potential approach to achieving global carbon neutrality.Here,Cu1Bi1bimetallic catalyst was prepared by a co-precipitation method.It has a ginger like composite structure(CuO/CuBi_(2)O_(4))and exhibited a high formate faradaic efficiency of 98.07%at–0.98 V and a large current density of–56.12 mA.cm^(-2)at–1.28 V,which is twice as high as Bi2O3catalyst.Especially,high selectivity(FE^(–)_(HCOO)>85%)is maintained over a wide potential window of 500 mV.In-situ Raman measurements and structure characterization revealed that the reduced Cu1Bi1bimetallic catalyst possesses abundant Cu-Bi interfaces and residual Bi-O structures.The abundant Cu-Bi interface structures on the catalyst surface can provide abundant active sites for CO_(2)RR,while the Bi-O structures may stabilize the CO_(2)^(*–)intermediate.The synergistic effect of abundant Cu-Bi interfaces and Bi-O species promotes the efficient synthesis of formate by following the OCHO^(*)pathway.