Highly efficient and stable ethanol electrosynthesis from carbon dioxide at −250 mA cm−2

Abstract

The electrocatalytic reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2RR) to ethanol (C2H5OH) represents notable research significance and commercial value in large-scale chemical production. However, the limited selectivity for C2H5OH and the uncontrollable changes in active sites during reaction process restrict the ability of catalyst to achieve stable and efficient CO2RR to C2H5OH at industrial current density. Here, we report a system that immunizes the reconstruction of catalytic active sites, where the CuAg catalytic centers are protected by nitrilotriacetic acid (NTA). Importantly, the constructed CuAg@NTA catalyst exhibits low barriers for C-C coupling and hydrogenation of *CH2CHO to *CH3CH2O. Consequently, the catalyst achieves a high ethanol faradaic efficiency (FEC2H5OH) of 87.21% with a partial current density of −218.03 mA cm−2. Furthermore, the catalyst maintaining over 70% of FEC2H5OH after 300 h at −250 mA cm−2, which are leading among previously reported catalysts in the selectivity and stability of CO2RR to C2H5OH at industrial current density. This study provides insights into the selectivity and stability enhancement of catalysts for electrocatalytic CO2RR to C2H5OH. The development of catalysts for selective CO2 electroreduction to ethanol at industrial current densities is vital for industrialization. Here, the authors report a surface stabilized tandem catalyst for efficient electrochemical CO2-to-ethanol conversion.