Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide to 1-Butanol on Oxide-Derived Copper

Abstract

The electroreduction of carbon dioxide using renewable electricity is an appealing strategy for the sustainable synthesis of chemicals and fuels. Extensive research has focused on the production of ethylene, ethanol and n-propanol, but more complex C4 molecules have been scarcely reported. Herein, we report the first direct electroreduction of CO2 to 1-butanol in alkaline electrolyte on Cu gas diffusion electrodes (Faradaic efficiency=0.056 %, j1-Butanol=−0.080 mA cm−2 at −0.48 V vs. RHE) and elucidate its formation mechanism. Electrolysis of possible molecular intermediates, coupled with density functional theory, led us to propose that CO2 first electroreduces to acetaldehyde-a key C2 intermediate to 1-butanol. Acetaldehyde then undergoes a base-catalyzed aldol condensation to give crotonaldehyde via electrochemical promotion by the catalyst surface. Crotonaldehyde is subsequently electroreduced to butanal, and then to 1-butanol. In a broad context, our results point to the relevance of coupling chemical and electrochemical processes for the synthesis of higher molecular weight products from CO2.