Self‐Supporting Copper‐Based Electrode by Electrospinning for Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to Methane

Cu‐based catalysts have been widely applied in CO 2 reduction (CO 2 RR) for their high reaction activity and selectivity. Various structure designs such as shape‐tailored nanoparticles (NPs) and facet control are proposed and the reduction performance is optimized. However, the applicability of nanostructured catalysts suffers from several issues such as the increased resistance, buried active sites, and inhibited mass transport from the current collector on which NPs are cast on. Herein, the synthesis of self‐supporting Cu NP‐embedded carbon films obtained by electrostatic spinning for the first time is reported, which exhibit lower reduction potential, higher reduction efficiency and selectivity. The synthesized Cu catalysts show relatively high crystallinity dominated by {111} facets, promoting the generation of CH 4 . An outstanding Faraday efficiency of CH 4 reaching 45% is obtained at −1.2 V (vs reversible hydrogen electrode). X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra demonstrate that the enhanced CO 2 RR properties are attributed to the synergistic effect of Cu and Cu + states. This study indicates a novel catalyst preparation method for better CO 2 reduction performance.