Publication date: 28th August 2024
Electrolyte effects have been the subject of intensive research in the past decade in the field of CO2 electrocatalysis [1]. In this contribution, I will present some recent results on CO2 and CO electroreduction on copper and other transition metal electrodes.
First, I will show that the usefulness of CO2 or CO as feedstocks for electrolysis is determined to a great extent by the morphology of Cu electrodes, as the structural sensitivity of CO2 and CO in presence of alkaline cations is remarkably different [2].
Moreover, I will show that cation effects on the intermediates of CO2 electroreduction are systematic for a large number of species involved in CO2 reduction to C1 products. In view of their systematicity, I will show that the effects are also predictable in simple terms [3].
Finally, I show that a model combining experimental and computational data explains how cationic ammonium surfactants substantially enhance the electroreduction of CO2 to CO on silver and zinc electrodes but not on gold [4].