Electrochemical Reduction of CO₂ at Copper Nanofoams

Abstract

We report the electrochemical reduction of CO 2 at copper foams with hierarchical porosity. We show that both the distribution of products formed from this reaction and their faradaic efficiencies differ significantly from those obtained at smooth electropolished copper electrodes. We attribute these differences to be due to high surface roughness, hierarchical porosity, and confinement of reactive species. We provide preliminary evidence in support of these claims.