CuO/Cu-MOF for Electrocatalytic CO Reduction to Acetate and Ethanol

Abstract

Electrocatalytic carbon monoxide reduction reaction (CORR) is a promising strategy for the conversion of CO to high-value multicarbon products, such as acetate and ethanol. Nevertheless, the activity and selectivity of CO conversion to multicarbon products remain low due to the lack of effective catalysts. Herein, we report the CuO nanoparticles with particle size in the range of 1–8 nm supported on Cu-MOF, which effectively provides multiple active sites for CORR. The CuO/Cu-MOF₁₀-100 exhibited high catalytic performance in acetate production at −0.6 V versus RHE in 1 M KOH aqueous solution, with the maximum Faraday efficiency (FE) of 43% and the partial current density of 6 mA·cm⁻². The CuO/Cu-MOF₅-100 exhibited higher selectivity in ethanol production with the FE_max of 38.1% and the partial current density of 3.7 mA cm⁻².