Facile synthesis of two-dimensional copper terephthalate for efficient electrocatalytic CO2 reduction to ethylene

Abstract Electrochemical CO2 reduction (ECR) powered by renewable electricity is reckoned to provide an effective strategy to alleviate environmental issues and energy crisis, enabling a potential carbon neutral economy. To boost the ECR to fuels and value-added chemicals, the design of highly active and selective catalysts is important. In this study, we demonstrate facile ultrasonication-facilitated synthesis of two-dimensional copper terephthalate for efficient ECR. High faradaic efficiencies (FEs) of up to 72.9% for hydrocarbons are achieved at a mild overpotential in an H-type cell. In particular, the FE for ethylene (C2H4) formation approaches 50.0% at an applied potential of −1.1 V (vs. the reversible hydrogen electrode), outperforming commercial Cu, Cu2O, CuO, Cu(OH)2 and many recently reported Cu-based materials. The C2H4 partial geometric current density is as high as ∼6.0 mA·cm−2. This work offers a simple avenue to developing advanced electrocatalysts for converting CO2 into high-value hydrocarbons.