N-Graphene Sheet Stacks/Cu Electrocatalyst for CO2 Reduction to Ethylene

Abstract

Renewable energy resources (wind, solar) are unpredictable, so it is wise to store the electricity they generate in an energy carrier X. Various PtX (power to useful energy-intensive raw material such as hydrogen, synthetic natural gas, fuel) applications have been proposed. At the heart of our work is widely used idea to convert residual CO2 from biogas plant into higher hydrocarbons using electricity from renewables (e.g., sun, wind, hydro). The specific goal is to produce ethylene-highly demanded hydrocarbon in plastics industry. The process itself is realised on electrocatalytic carbon/copper cathode which must be selective to reaction: 2CO2 + 12e− + 12H+→C2H4 + 4H2O. We propose a bottom-up approach to build catalyst from the smallest particles-graphene sheet stacks (GSS) coated with metallic copper nanocrystals. Composite GSS-Cu structure functions as a CO2 and proton absorber, facilitating hydrogenation and carbon–carbon coupling reactions on Cu-nanocluster/GSS for the formation of C2H4. In our design electrocatalytic electrode is made from nitrogen-doped graphene sheet stacks coated with copper nanostructures. The N-GSSitself can be drop-casted or electrophoretically incorporated onto the carbon paper and gas diffusion electrode. Electrochemical deposition method was recognized as successful and most promising to grow Cu nanocrystals on N-GSS incorporated in conducting carbon substrate. Gaseous products from CO2 electro-catalytic reformation on the cathode were investigated by mass-spectrometer but the electrode surface was analysed by SEM/EDS and XRD methods.