Suppressing the Catalytic Barriers in Cu2O Electrocatalyst via Cu Electron Transport Interlayer for Enhanced CO2 Reduction Efficiency

The electrochemical carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction is a very promising method for sustainable development, and for this, it is essential to develop a catalyst with high efficiency. In this regard, this study investigated how the presence of the copper (Cu) interlayer affects the CO2 reduction performance of the copper oxide (Cu2O) catalyst. As a result, it was confirmed that when the Cu interlayer was present, the selectivity of the Cu2O catalyst to the formic acid was significantly increased and stability was also improved. In addition, the plausible mechanism involved for enhanced CO2 reduction performance is presented via a wide range of physicochemical and electrochemical characterizations. The findings from our work suggest that the Cu2O is a promising electrocatalyst and the Cu interlayer significantly boosts its CO2 reduction efficiency.