Influences of cations and anions in aqueous electrolyte on the electrochemical reduction of CO2 over Cu-based Electrode

Abstract

In present work, various aqueous electrolyte solution including Na2SO4, NaCl, NaHCO3, K2SO4, KCl, KHCO3, Cs2SO4, CsCl, and CsHCO3 were employed in the CO2-ER using Cu-based electrode in an H-cell type reactor. The effects of cations and anions on the production rate were analyzed by GC and NMR. The results showed that electrolyte containing Cl- as anion not only facilitated CO2-ER but also suppressed H2 evolution, the competitive reaction. For the cations effect, rate of CO/H2 production increased with increasing cation size (Na+ < K+ < Cs+). The mixture of HCO3- and Cl- with various ratios (1:1, 1:2, 1:3, and 1:4) were also investigated. It was found that mixed electrolytes can improve the performance of electrolyte. The more Cl- concentration (0.4M) in mixed electrolyte, the Cu-Cl catalytic film can be presented, which electron transfer is promoted and intermediates can diffuse easier, resulting in the formation of C2 products. Furthermore, the applied potential in the range of -1.2V to -2.0V vs. Ag/AgCl on CO2-ER were studied. At higher applied potential, CO intermediates can be further reduced to C2 products. The electrolyte performances were correlated to the reduction current and resistance of charge transfer (Rct) as revealed by linear sweep voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy results, respectively.