6-1-1　Overall electrochemical CO₂ reduction - oxygen evolution reaction system via electrodeposition bimetallic covered Cu-foam based electrode

Abstract

CO₂ reduction reaction(CO₂RR), as a potential path toward converting CO₂ to fuel, is of great significance for alleviating the shortage of fossil fuels and combatting global climate change. Cu foam (CF) exhibits high electrochemical water splitting and CO₂ reduction activity. Practical electrochemical overall CO₂RR−OER two-electrode systems include a CO2RR at the cathode and an oxygen evolution reaction (OER) at the anode. Herein, we emphasized the CF-modified surface for the two-side reaction by constructing earth-abundant materials on the CF-modified surface with InZnCu/CF as the cathode and Cu(OH)₂ NWs@NiCo-LDH as the anode. These were efficient for a CO₂RR system with a potential close to an ideal thermodynamic potential for an overall CO₂RR−OER. Although this system had different metal composites on both sides, this still allowed a sustainable operation for 40 h with high efficiency. Moreover, we emphasized a further development in scalability. Thus, the energy input for the conversion of CO per ton of CO₂ resulted in a low range. The demonstration of the CO₂RR−OER provided a facile method of fabricating electrodes based on CF and a constructed overall CO₂RR system, which will guide the future development of practical industrial applications.