Enhanced ethanol selectivity from rlectrochemical carbon dioxide reduction on CuZn alloys

Abstract

Electrochemical $CO_2$ reduction reaction ($CO_2$RR) has been emerging as a key method for reducing the concentration of $CO_2$ in the atmosphere, which has been rapidly increasing since the industrial revolution. Ethanol has attracted a lot of attention due to its high energy density, but exhibited low selectivity. Various Cu-based catalysts have been developed to increase the selectivity of ethanol. Copper-zinc alloy catalysts have been recently investigated for enhanced ethanol production due to the alloying effect in addition to the low toxicity and price of zinc. However, as many products can be produced on copper-zinc alloy catalyst, the necessity for research on it has increased. In this dissertation, the causes were suggested by analyzing the products from $CO_2$RR on the copper-zinc alloy catalyst. In chapter 1, we introduce the need for improvement of $CO_2$RR performance on the copper-zinc alloy, which is known as a means to solve the problem of increasing $CO_2$ in the atmosphere. In chapter 2, the improvement of ethanol production on copper-zinc alloys with controlled various factors such as facet, crystal structure, and morphology is investigated by dividing it into electronic and geometric ensemble effects. Chapter 3 presents an analysis of the reduction process of copper zinc oxide and key factor for ethanol production improvement from $CO_2$RR on it.