Enhanced CO2 Reduction to Ethylene with Hollow Cu2O Structure by Facet-Controlled Etching

Abstract

Various catalysts have been used for achieving the CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR), among which Cu2O has received widespread attention due to its high activity and selectivity. In this work, we focus on the morphology control of Cu2O nanoboxes (NBs) regulated by poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) and graphene oxide and report the synthesis of a hollow structure by facet-controlled etching. Cu2O NBs etched for 8 days exhibited enhanced CO2RR selectivity and activity, reaching a superior C2H4 Faraday efficiency of [Formula: see text]35.4% at −1.2 V (versus Ag/AgCl), which was much higher than that of unetched catalysts. The improved performance was attributed to the synergistic effect of various crystal facets exposed on the NB surface. The hollow NBs showed relatively high structural stability, demonstrating the potential for practical applications. This study introduces an efficient approach to boost the catalyst properties by specifically constructing the structure and controlling the morphology.