Bimetallic Copper–Silver Catalysts for the Electrochemical Reduction of CO₂ to Ethanol

High Resolution Image Download MS PowerPoint Slide The electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide to ethanol is a promising way to make CO 2 electrolysis economically feasible. In this work, a bimetallic catalyst of silver and copper is synthesized, and the effect of its copper content on the formation of ethanol is analyzed. By decreasing the near-surface copper content from 99 to 45% (measured by XPS) at a current density of −20 mA cm –2, the Faradaic efficiency of ethanol could be enhanced from 5 to 23%. Moreover, we show that with excess of CO, due to a lower copper and a higher silver near-surface content, the formation of ethanol is favored over ethylene.