Electrochemical reduction of CO2 to formate catalyzed by electroplated tin coating on copper foam

Abstract Sn/f-Cu electrode has been prepared by electrodeposition Sn on a Cu foam substrate in aqueous plating solution, which has been used as the cathode for electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in aqueous KHCO 3 solution. Here, we have explored the effects of the deposition time and the electrolysis potential on the Faradaic efficiency for producing formate. The results demonstrate that maximum Faradaic efficiency of 83.5% is obtained at −1.8 V vs. Ag/AgCl when the Sn/f-Cu electrode is prepared by electrodeposition for 35 min. The Sn/f-Cu electrode exhibits excellent catalytic activity for CO 2 reduction compared with the Cu foam electrode and the Sn plate electrode. The average current density and the production rate of formate for the Sn/f-Cu electrode are more than twice those for the Sn plate electrode during electrochemical reduction of CO 2 .