Preparation of Cerium Doped Cuprous Oxide and Its Performance in Electrocatalytic CO<sub>2</sub> Reduction to Ethylene

The use of renewable electricity to drive carbon dioxide reduction reactions has the advantage of being environmentally friendly, mild, and controllable. The composition and yield of the product are determined by the components and structure of the catalyst. Copper-based catalysts can electrochemically reduce carbon dioxide into high-value multi-carbon products. However, the Cu⁺ catalytic active center is easily reduced, unstable, leading to poor product selectivity and stability. Based on this, the electronic structure of Cu₂O was modulated by cerium element doping, thereby enhancing the catalytic activity of Cu⁺. The Ce-doped Cu₂O catalyst has a Faraday efficiency of over 10% for ethylene, with a Faraday efficiency of 17.8% for the production of C₂H₄ at -1.2 V vs HER for CeCu₂O. Meanwhile, Ce-Cu₂O also exhibits excellent cycling stability, which provides a material basis for the long-term stable operation of CO₂ electrochemical reduction.