• Endrődi, Balázs
• Kormányos, Attila
• Csík, Gábor András
• Balog, Ádám
• Janáky, Csaba
• Serfőző, Andrea

Abstract

To reach industrially relevant current densities in the electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide, this process must be performed in continuous-flow electrolyzer cells, applying gas diffusion electrodes. Beyond the chemical composition of the catalyst, its morphology, and the overall structure of the catalyst layer are both decisive in terms of reaction rate and product selectivity. We present an electrodeposition method for preparing coherent copper nanocube catalyst layers on hydrophobic carbon papers, hence forming gas diffusion electrodes with high coverage in a single step. This was enabled by the proper wetting of the carbon paper (controlled by the composition of the electrodeposition solution) and the use of a custom-designed 3D-printed electrolyzer cell, which allowed to deposit copper nanocubes selectively on the microporous side of the carbon paper substrate. Furthermore, a polymeric binder (Capstone ST-110) was successfully incorporated in the catalyst layer during electrodeposition. The high electrode coverage and the binder content together result in an increased ethylene production rate during CO2 reduction, as compared to catalyst layers prepared from simple aqueous solutions.

Topics

• morphology
• Carbon
• chemical composition
• copper
• forming
• electrodeposition