Electrochemical reduction of CO2 using cuprous oxide particles supported on carbon paper substrate

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 is so important in mitigating the greenhouse related environmental concerns. Recently, oxidized forms of metals instead of pure metals have gained a great deal of attention due to the difference in product selection between the two classes of electrode materials. Since copper has been widely used in producing carbon-intensive products, various studies have been dedicated to evaluate its oxidized form. In this research study, we focused on using cuprous oxide particles supported on hydrophobic carbon paper substrate. The structure of the carbon paper provides unique reaction sites while the micron-sized particles can help to provide new insight about using smaller surface area to volume ratio as compared to previous reports on oxidized copper nanoparticles. Formic acid, ethylene, and CO were produced as a result of our experiments which show improved product selection compared with the pure copper nanoparticles. The potential and time dependence of these products are presented in this study along with a discussion on the origin of CO2 reduction.