Enhanced Electrochemical Reduction of CO₂ with Exsolved Metal–Oxide Interfaces in Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cells

Abstract

Solid oxide electrolytic cells (SOECs) get much attention because of their ability to efficiently convert electric energy into chemical energy. Traditional cathode materials have problems, such as low catalytic activity, easy coking, and aggregation. In this study, we proposed to take CeO 2, which has excellent oxidation–reduction and dispersion ability to metal nanoparticles, as the base; under reduction conditions, Ni–Cu alloy nanoparticles were precipitated and anchored on its surface to construct an active metal–oxide interface to improve the electrochemical reduction ability of CO 2 in SOEC and anticoking performance. CO yield of SOEC assembled with this material as a symmetrical electrode at a temperature of 850 °C and an applied voltage of 1.8 V is 4.83 mL·min –1 ·cm –2, which is 168% higher than that of a pure CeO 2 electrode. Additionally, no carbon deposition was observed after the reaction. This work provides an important reference for improving the performance of the cathode materials.