Material of the Month
January 2020
CO2: From Waste to Value
Electrochemical Conversion of CO2 to Ethanol on AgCu Nanofoam

Additive-assisted co-electrodeposition of bimetallic AgCu foams yields high surface area catalysts for the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2RR) with a high degree of dispersion of Ag domains (CO former) in the Cu matrix (C-C coupler). Thermal oxidation of Cu and the subsequent electroreduction during CO2 electrolysis further activates the bimetallic catalyst for selective ethanol formation.
In addition, the operando Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction are demonstrated as highly valuable techniques to provide in-depth mechanistic insights into the catalyst activation process which involves the reduction of the oxidic Cu precursors prior to the CO2RR onset.

This work was carried out in the group of Prof. Peter Broekmann.

Reference:

  • A. Dutta, I. Z. Montiel, R. Erni, K. Kiran, M. Rahaman, J. Drnec, P. Broekmann;
    "Activation of Bimetallic AgCu Foam Electrocatalysts for Ethanol Formation from CO2 by Selective Cu Oxidation/Reduction"
    Nano Energy, 2020, 68, 104331; doi:10.1016/j.nanoen.2019.104331.