Defect-Rich Copper Electrocatalyst with Enhanced Acetylene Adsorption for Highly-Selective Ethylene Production at Industrial Current Densities

Open AccessCCS ChemistryRESEARCH ARTICLES28 Nov 2024Defect-Rich Copper Electrocatalyst with Enhanced Acetylene Adsorption for Highly-Selective Ethylene Production at Industrial Current Densities Zeliang Wu, Tao Wang, Qihui Guan, Dongfang Li, Yaojie Lei, Yong Chen, Wei Hong, Chang Wu, Shailendra Kumar Sharma, Jinqiang Zhang, Shixia Chen, Guoxiu Wang and Jun Wang Zeliang Wu , Tao Wang , Qihui Guan , Dongfang Li , Yaojie Lei , Yong Chen , Wei Hong , Chang Wu , Shailendra Kumar Sharma , Jinqiang Zhang , Shixia Chen , Guoxiu Wang and Jun Wang https://doi.org/10.31635/ccschem.024.202404849 SectionsSupplemental MaterialAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack Citations ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail Electrochemical semi-hydrogenation of acetylene (C2H2) using renewable electricity offers a sustainable route for ethylene (C2H4) production. However, the development of this technique has been hindered by many challenges, such as competitive hydrogen evolution reactions (HER) and over-hydrogenation at high current densities, which will reduce the Faradaic efficiency (FE) of C2H4 and negatively impact downstream processing. Herein, we develop defect-rich copper nanocubes (v-Cu NCs) as efficient electrocatalysts for facilitating C2H2 adsorption while suppressing HER and overhydrogenation. The superior semi-hydrogenation performances are verified by the high C2H4 FE of 98.3% at an ultra-high current density of 0.7 A cm−2. Remarkably, in a 25 cm2 electrolyzer, v-Cu NCs deliver a record-high single-pass conversion of 97.5% for C2H2 and C2H4 selectivity of 97.4% at a cathode current of 1.6 A with a flow rate of 10 mL min−1, operating stably for 50 hours. In-situ Raman spectroscopy and theoretical calculations reveal that uniformly oriented Cu (100) planes and nitrogen vacancies generate strong C2H2 adsorption at copper sites, which facilitates hydrogenation kinetics and increases the energy barrier for over-hydrogenation. This work offers valuable insights into the implementation of C2H2-to-C2H4 production and the development of efficient electrocatalysts for C2H2 semi-hydrogenation. Download figure Download PowerPoint Previous articleNext article FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Issue AssignmentNot Yet AssignedSupporting Information Copyright & Permissions© 2024 Chinese Chemical Society Downloaded 0 times PDF downloadLoading ...