A Metal–Organic Framework derived CuxOyCz Catalyst for Electrochemical CO2 Reduction and Impact of Local pH Change

Abstract Developing highly efficient and selective electrocatalysts for the CO 2 reduction reaction to produce value‐added chemicals has been intensively pursued. We report a series of Cu x O y C z nanostructured electrocatalysts derived from a Cu‐based MOF as porous self‐sacrificial template. Blending catalysts with polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) on gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) suppressed the competitive hydrogen evolution reaction. 25 to 50 wt % teflonized GDEs exhibited a Faradaic efficiency of ≈54 % for C 2+ products at −80 mA cm −2 . The local OH − ions activity of PTFE‐modified GDEs was assessed by means of closely positioning a Pt‐nanoelectrode. A substantial increase in the OH − /H 2 O activity ratio due to the locally generated OH − ions at increasing current densities was determined irrespective of the PTFE amount.