Electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide on copper-based nanocatalysts using the rotating ring-disc electrode

Highlights: • Continuous hydrothermal synthesis production of Cu(I)oxide nanomaterials for CO₂ electroreduction. • Exclusive production of formate at up to 66% Faradaic efficiency. • Rotating ring-disc electrode effective means of studying CO₂ electroreduction process. A continuous hydrothermal flow synthesis method was used to produce copper(I) oxide nanoparticles, which were used as an electrocatalyst for the reduction of CO₂. A rotating ring-disc electrode (RRDE) system was used to study the electroreduction processes, including a systematic study (including quantitative NMR analysis) to identify product species formed at the disc and detected at the ring. In 0.5 M KHCO₃ electrolyte with a pH of 7.1, carbon dioxide was found to be exclusively reduced to formate. In the potential range −0.5 to −0.9 V vs the reversible hydrogen electrode (RHE), an active material/glassy-carbon disc electrode was shown to produce formate, with a maximum Faradaic efficiency of 66% (at −0.8 V vs RHE).