Tandem Electrocatalytic CO<sub>2</sub> Reduction inside a Membrane with Enhanced Selectivity for Ethylene
Tania Akter, Hanqing Pan, Christopher J. Barile
Abstract
In this study, electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) is carried out on tandem electrodes consisting of Ag- and Cu-based nanoparticles and a proton-permeable membrane to selectively produce ethylene (C2H4) with Faradaic efficiencies up to 80%. We demonstrate that the origin of this high selectivity arises from the tandem architecture utilized. In particular, CO2 is first reduced to CO on Ag, and the CO is subsequently reduced to C2H4 on the surface of the Cu-based nanoparticles. CO2 reduction products were quantified, and experiments were carried out as a function of voltage, the membrane overlayer thickness, and the oxidation state of Cu in the nanoparticles. Together, these results lay a framework for the selective production of value-added products from CO2 reduction using membrane-modified tandem electrocatalysis.