Enhanced selectivity for the electrochemical reduction of CO2 to alcohols in aqueous solution with nanostructured Cu–Au alloy as catalyst

Electrochemical reduction of CO2 in an aqueous 0.5 M KHCO3 solution is studied by use of novel nanostructured Cu–Au alloys, which are prepared through electrochemical deposition with a nanoporous Cu film (NCF) as template. Linear voltammetry results show that the as-synthesized Cu–Au alloys exhibit obvious catalysis towards electrochemical reduction of CO2. Further analysis of products reveals that faradic efficiencies of alcohols (methanol and ethanol) are greatly dependent on the nanostructures and compositions of Cu–Au alloys. It is expected that this work could provide new insight into the development of powerful electrocatalysts for reduction of CO2 to alcohols.