CoP2O6-Assisted Copper/Carbon Catalyst for Electrocatalytic Reduction of CO2 to Formate

Reducing CO₂ into value-added chemicals and fuels by electrochemical reduction of CO₂ (CO₂ER) in an aqueous medium is considered a potential way to store intermittent renewable energy and alleviate the energy crisis. Cu-based catalysts are a common electrocatalyst used in CO₂ER. However, selectivity has always been a difficult problem to solve, especially in terms of the production of C₁ products. Based on the characteristics of the carbon framework and the CoP₂O₆ species, herein, Cu and CoP₂O₆ co-anchored N-doped hollow carbon spheres (CoP₂O₆/HCS-Cu) with a precisely controllable copper content were prepared, in order to produce formate with a high current density and Faraday efficiency from CO₂ER. The ratio of copper to cobalt has a strong influence on the catalytic performance of the catalyst. In addition, the experimental results and density functional theory calculations show that CoP₂O₆ is an important factor in promoting the formation of formate.