Selective methane electrosynthesis enabled by a hydrophobic carbon coated copper core–shell architecture. Issue 1 (1st December 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zhang, Xin Yu; Li, Wen Jing; Wu, Xue Feng; Liu, Yuan Wei; Chen, Jiacheng; Zhu, Minhui; Yuan, Hai Yang; Dai, Sheng; Wang, Hai Feng; Jiang, Zheng; Liu, Peng Fei; Yang, Hua Gui
• Is Part Of: Energy & environmental science. Volume 15:Issue 1(2022)
• Page Start: 234
• Page End: 243
• Publication Date: 2021-12-01
• Subjects: Energy conversion -- Periodicals; Fuel switching -- Periodicals; Environmental sciences -- Periodicals; Environmental chemistry -- Periodicals; 333.79
• DOI: 10.1039/d1ee01493e
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1754-5692

Abstract

Abstract : A hydrophobic core–shell architecture was constructed to control local H2 O availability on the surface of the copper-based materials, which could provide a maximum generation rate of −434 mA cm −2 towards CH4 . Abstract : The electrosynthesis of valuable chemicals via carbon dioxide reduction reaction (CO2 RR) has provided a promising way to address global energy and sustainability problems. However, the selectivity and activity of deep-reduction products (DRPs) still remain as big challenges. Here, a copper–carbon-based catalyst with a hydrophobic core–shell architecture has been constructed and was found to exhibit excellent DRPs of methane generation with a faradaic efficiency of 81 ± 3% in a neutral medium and a maximum partial current density of −434 mA cm −2 in a flow cell configuration, which is among the best of CO2 -to-CH4 electrocatalysts. Density functional theory calculations suggest that the hydrophobic structure decreasing the water coverage on the catalyst surface can promote the protonation of the *CO intermediate and block CO production, further favoring the generation of methane. These results provide a new insight into the electrosynthesis of DRPs via constructing a hydrophobic core–shell architecture for tuning the surface water coverage.