Enhanced efficiency for carbon dioxide electroreduction to formate by electrodeposition Sn on Cu nanowires

Electroreduction of CO2 to formate is one of the most promising methods for CO2 utilization and conversion. However, low conversion efficiency and poor stability of electrodes limit its practical application. In this study, Sn are electrodeposited on copper nanowires (Sn/Nano-Cu) to serve as the electrode for the electroreduction of CO2 to formate. Results show that Sn nanoparticles are uniformly distributed on copper nanowires. When the potential of −1.2 V (vs. RHE) is applied, the prepared Sn/Nano-Cu electrode exhibits the maximum Faradaic efficiency as high as 86.8 % with a current density of 38.0 mA cm−2. The formate production rate reaches 575.1 ± 24 μmol h-1 cm−2, which is 1.9 and 2.9 times that of the Sn/Cu and Sn foil electrode, respectively. The excellent CO2 electrochemical reduction performance may be attributed to the large electroactive surface area and low charge transfer resistance. Moreover, the Sn/Nano-Cu electrode can maintain high Faraday efficiency during 25 h test. The superior electrocatalytic performance as well as good stability for CO2 electroreduction is achieved by the Sn/Nano-Cu electrode.