Selective and stable CO2 electroreduction at high rates via control of local H2O/CO2 ratio

Abstract Controlling the concentrations of H 2 O and CO 2 at the reaction interface is crucial for achieving efficient electrochemical CO 2 reduction. However, precise control of these variables during catalysis remains challenging, and the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Herein, guided by a multi-physics model, we demonstrate that tuning the local H 2 O/CO 2 concentrations is achievable by thin polymer coatings on the catalyst surface. Beyond the often-explored hydrophobicity, polymer properties of gas permeability and water-uptake ability are even more critical for this purpose. With these insights, we achieve CO 2 reduction on copper with Faradaic efficiency exceeding 87% towards…

• NR
  National Research Foundation
• AF
  Agency for Science, Technology and Research

  Award: U2102d2002
• NU
  National University of Singapore

  Awards: CHI-P2022-06, A-0009176-03-00, A-0009176-02-00
• NR
  National Research Foundation Singapore

  Award: NRF-NRFF13-2021-0007
• NN
  National Natural Science Foundation of China

  Award: 52488201
• CS
  China Scholarship Council